You're Needed Here Now, Donnie
by CJtheStoryteller
Summary: Set after 'The Fourfold Trap.' After escaping Karai's deadly traps, the turtles are hoping to put the awful events of the night behind them, but there is one brother who cannot forgive himself for what has happened. Consumed by guilt, Donatello makes a rash decision that puts his life in grave danger. His brothers race to save him, but will they be too late?
1. Chapter 1 - Late Night Regressions

**_**TMNT Universal Fanfiction Competition 2016 Winner - Most In-Character Leonardo (first place) and Most Exciting Action/Adventure (third place)️**_**

 _ ***Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.**_

 _ ***Author's Note: Thank you very much for reading. More chapters will be coming soon. I will try to post at least one chapter a week.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 1 – Late Night Regressions**

The beaker filled with the thick, black, porridge-like substance was still sitting atop the metal stand above the Bunsen burner on his desk. The overflow of the failed experiment still stained the surface of his desktop and served as an unpleasant reminder of what had happened, mocking him without repent. Whether the discoloration was permanent or not had yet to be determined, as he had not bothered with any attempts to clean it up yet. Not due to a lack of motivation, but because this was the first time he had sat down at his desk since the whole ordeal had taken place.

Sinking into the worn seat cushion of his blue task chair, Donatello stared wearily ahead at the turquoise-colored liquid contents of the Petri dish on another metal stand just a few inches away from the one holding the beaker and he let out an exasperated sigh.

Tears pricked his eyes when the events of the night replayed in his mind once again. It was a night he would just as soon forget.

Several weeks ago, Donatello's oldest brother, Leonardo, and youngest brother, Michelangelo, had risked their lives by sneaking into their arch enemy, Shredder's lair on a rather bold and extremely foolish mission to acquire one of the Brain Worms from the laboratory of Baxter Stockman – or Stockman-Fly as Michelangelo dubbed him. Donnie had never cared much for the not-so clever nickname Mikey had come up with for the mutant housefly. It certainly wasn't one of Mikey's best naming efforts to date . . . Not that it really mattered right now what they called the guy. Either name Shredder's personal mad scientist went by – be it Stockman or Stockman-Fly – the monster was the one responsible for creating the genetically modified mutant worms and the Mind Control Serum that caused the whole mess.

Shaking his head from side to side a couple of times until he realized the motion was causing him a great deal of discomfort, Donnie then looked down at the open notebook on his desk and glanced at the various sketches and notes he had made while researching the Brain Worm Leo and Mikey had obtained. It was more than slightly unnerving to Donnie to know that Leo and Mikey had deliberately put themselves in harm's way and nearly lost their lives to get Donnie a live sample of a worm just so that he could fail miserably in the end. They all had high expectations that Donnie could develop a cure for Master Splinter's daughter, Miwa (aka Karai), who was under the mind control of a Brain Worm Shredder had implanted in her. For weeks, Donnie worked night and day to synthesize the neurotoxin from the Brain Worm in hopes of reversing the mind controlling effects of the worm, but it was all for naught.

He had failed . . . yet again. He was supposed to be the one that could fix things, but he had failed.

He had failed his brothers.

He had failed his father.

He had failed Karai . . . and now, she may be lost forever. All because he couldn't figure out a solution.

Karai was gone and it was all his fault.

Lately, it seemed as though all he ever did was screw everything up. Why, just over the past few months alone, Donnie could think of a handful of times his incompetence had nearly killed his family and friends. His argument with Leo before the Kraang invasion resulted in Leo getting so badly injured, the oldest turtle was in a coma for three months, all because Donnie had refused to leave and establish a second base before the invasion like Leo had suggested. If it wasn't for Donnie's relentless obstinacy, Leo would have never gotten injured. And while Leo recovered from his many wounds, the four brothers stayed at their closest human friend, April O'Neil's family farmhouse outside of the city where Donnie kept right on botching everything up. In the relatively small timeframe they spent away from the city, Donnie had been ingested by April's mutant pseudo mother and by a mutant car, he had been captured by a mutagen sucking "Creep" and a hunter who called himself "The Finger," he had been courted by Bigfoot, he had been drained of almost all of his life force by a Dream Beaver who wanted to eat him because, apparently, he was salty, and, he had been beaten to a pulp by a gang of mutant frogs. Even worse . . . he had hooked April up to a psychic neuro-transmitter from a Kraang stealth ship which resulted in her psychically connecting with a giant mutant Chimera (aka 'Turducken' per Mikey).

 _Oh yeah. That was a real crowning achievement . . ._

Once the brothers had returned to New York City to take down the Kraang, Donnie's string of not succeeding had continued without skipping a beat. There had been Donnie's failure to create a retro mutagen that could change Karai from her mutated serpent form back to her human form. Because of that epic fail, Karai had attacked April and April just about died because Donnie had been unable to generate an anti-venom to neutralize the poison in April's system from the snake bite she had received. Not to mention, that their other close human friend, Casey Jones, as well as all three of Donnie's brothers, along with Donnie himself, had nearly died from Karai's venom. Most recently, of course, there had been the dumbening process Donnie had endured when he had managed to get splashed with his own experiment. Sure, Mikey shared some portion of the blame on that last one, but Donnie should have known better than to let Mikey anywhere near one of his experiments. After all, Donnie _was_ supposed to be the smart one.

 _If I'm supposedly so smart, why is it that all I ever do is mess things up?_ Donnie wondereddejectedly _._

Donnie leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees so that he could grasp his head firmly in his hands. The rhythm of his heart was beating like a bass drum inside of his head.

 _Ba-boom . . . Ba-boom . . . Ba-boom._

The headache he had been battling with over the past few days – maybe even weeks now that he was taking the time to think about it – had blossomed into a full-fledged migraine, complete with spates of blinding light and nausea spells that seemed to be steadily worsening. Upon their return home that evening, Donnie had taken several aspirin to alleviate the pressure building in his head, but they were doing little to subside the unremitting pounding in his brain.

What had happened to him that evening certainly could explain his headache getting worse. Well, at least the parts of the evening he could remember anyway.

Against his better judgment, Donnie started thinking about the events of the night again, remembering back to what had started the unfortunate series of events that had led to them losing Karai . . . possibly for good this time.

The evening had started out like every other evening that week, with Donnie skipping supper, _again_ , so he could continue working in his lab on the serum for Karai. Donnie had been cooped up in his laboratory all day, just like the day before and the day before that . . . and so on and so forth. He had been desperately trying to find a solution to the Brain Worm situation. After supper, Donnie's brothers and father had ventured into the lab to check on his progress . . . or lack thereof. Donnie had come to expect these random visits to his lab and he interpreted them as his family's subtle way of implying 'Aren't you done yet?' Either that, or they had just been checking if he was still alive.

As his family had gathered around him and had waited with bated breath as they had watched Donnie test his work, they had all gotten the honor and privilege of bearing witness to the supposedly genius turtle's latest failed experiment and the even more embarrassing little temper tantrum of Donnie's that followed.

 _Not one of my finest moments_ . . . Donnie mentally groaned to himself.

Then, had come the onslaught of emotional abuse, as they all had apparently reached their wit's ends.

Donnie remembered that part of the night all too clearly. He could still hear their words ringing in his head.

At one point, Mikey had been kind enough to say, _"Donnie, you tried your best, brah . . . even if it totally sucked."_

Despite the pain he knew it would cause, Donnie couldn't stop himself from shaking his head from side to side again at the thought of Mikey's oh-so supportive comment. Mikey's timing had been absolutely impeccable. Just when Donnie had thought he had hit rock bottom, his little brother had been there to kick him when he was already down.

 _Ah, my brothers. I can always count on them to provide me with words of encouragement._

In the back of his mind, Donnie recalled some of the many motivational speeches his gracious brothers had offered him during his time of need.

" _Hurry, Donnie! Faster!"_

" _Any time now, Donnie!"_

" _What's taking so long, Donnie?"_

" _Donnie, we're running out of time!"_

There were so many times his brothers had generously imparted their astute guidance and instruction, Donnie couldn't pick which particular one was his favorite. If Donnie was forced to choose one, he would have gone with, _"Move your shell, Donnie! Go!"_

 _The three of them are always such a continuing source of inspiration,_ Donnie thought wryly _._

There was wise and valiant Leonardo, the leader of the team. Leo was always ready to lend a helping hand. _Well, maybe not so much a helping hand as a helping mouth._ When it came to doling out sanctimonious advice and telling someone that they're doing it wrong, Leo was truly selfless and a real master of the craft. Leo went above and beyond the call of duty to conform one's thinking to his own.

Then, there was Raph, with his always sunny disposition and his arsenal of insults. Raph was not inspirational in the traditional sense of the word. Raph liked to inspire others through intimidation tactics and threats of physical violence that he would act out if provoked. Like Leo, Raph did whatever it took to get one to do his bidding, only he went about it in a much more vulgar and unpleasant manner than Leo.

And lastly, there was Mikey. While Mikey was never intentionally cruel, nor was he pushy or bossy, he did have a tendency to speak without thinking which could sometimes cut like a knife. Case in point, telling Donnie that he sucked.

After Mikey's hurtful comment, Donnie had been feeling so overwhelmed by defeat, he had told Master Splinter that he couldn't figure out how to make a cure for Karai, apologizing for his inadequacy and essentially giving up right in front of his audience. Donnie's verbal throwing in of the towel had been followed by Master Splinter's brokenhearted voice saying, _"I know how hard you have tried, Donatello. Some things are simply not meant to be. At least I have four wonderful sons."_

 _Now, if that wasn't the ultimate, all-expense paid guilt trip, I don't know what is . . ._ Donnie groaned to himself, recalling just how low he had felt after his father's words _._

It wasn't long after that that holier-than-thou Leo just had to put his two cents in and things quickly went from bad to much, much worse.

" _Donnie, you know how much this means to Sensei."_

" _Leo, I'm trying as hard as I can."_

" _Well, try harder."_

" _Try harder? I always have to find the solution! You're leader, Leo! You find the answer! Or what about Raph?"_

" _I got the answer for ya! Karai's a lost cause!"_

" _Don't say that, dude!"_

The war of the words had then been on. All four brothers had collectively started chewing each other out, letting their pent up frustration pour out of them like someone had turned on a high-pressure faucet on each of them. Donnie had been in the midst of bickering with his brothers – though his anger had been mostly homed in on Leo – when his T-phone had rang out, effectively distracting him. He had used the untimely call as the perfect excuse to walk away from Leo, knowing that his oldest brother hated it when someone walked away during an argument.

The phone call had been April, who had told Donnie that she needed to meet with him alone to talk about something important. Donnie was not about to question the request or seek out further information, for April had just provided him with a legitimate excuse to leave the lair and take a much-needed break from his family.

Master Splinter had come into the main area of the lair just after Donnie had hung up and their father had demanded to know what the problem had been.

Donnie had told his father that it was nothing and he had stormed off towards the Stealth Bike that had been parked just on the other side of the turnstiles leading to the lair. Donnie remembered exactly what was said before he left.

" _I'm heading out! April needs me."_

" _You're needed here now, Donnie!"_

" _Donnie! . . . Donnie!"_

Blinded by his anger, Donnie had ignored Leonardo's pleas for him to stay, speeding away from the lair and his family as fast as the Stealth Bike would take him.

Little had Donnie known, he had just made yet another mistake that would soon put his entire family in danger, and, in due course, it would cause them to lose Karai.

 _Smart one, my shell_ . . . he thought bitterly.

Always a sucker for anything that had to do with April because he was 'sadorable' as Raph liked to put it, Donnie had raced off to the alley where April had been waiting for him. She had quickly informed Donnie that the Kraang were back and she then slipped inside a glowing warehouse, out of sight. The whole thing had seemed a little suspicious to Donnie, but instead of listening to his gut and contacting his brothers like he should have, Donnie had followed April into the warehouse . . . only it hadn't been April.

Once inside of the warehouse, Donnie had immediately discovered it was a trap and he had fallen for it hook, line, and sinker. The door to the warehouse had slammed shut, trapping him inside with Tiger Claw, Rahzar, Karai, and several of Baxter Stockman's Mousers. Realizing he was greatly outnumbered and in a whole lot of trouble, Donnie had made a feeble attempt to escape, but Tiger Claw and Rahzar were much larger and much stronger than him. They had launched a swift attack and had easily overpowered him, effectively pummeling him into submission. While Tiger Claw and Rahzar had held him up by the arms and shell, Karai had stepped forward and had injected him with something that had rendered him unconscious. Donnie wasn't sure what exactly she had drugged him with, but it had been powerful enough to take him down within less than a minute. He had lost an unknown period of time after that. The next thing he had remembered was waking up with his arms and legs shackled to a chair and a virtual reality helmet had been strapped to his head. Donnie had soon found out that the helmet had been hooked up to some kind of power source that had been capable of delivering a debilitative amount of voltage to his system. He had been forced to play a game Karai had called "The Brain Boggler," where if he didn't line up the pieces properly on the virtual grid created by the helmet, his body would receive a nasty electrical shock via the helmet for every wrong move he had made. And with every powerful shock that had been sent through him, it had become increasingly difficult for him to function, let alone think, as he had come dangerously closer and closer to getting 'brain fried' as Karai had so compassionately put it.

It was no wonder his head hurt. He hadn't slept or eaten properly in days, he had been knocked out with some unknown substance, and he had received more jolts of electricity than he could shake a bo-staff at. Donnie let go of his head so that he could examine the barely noticeable injection mark on his upper arm. He could see his arms were starting to show bruising from where Tiger Claw and Rahzar had thoughtfully battered him until he stopped resisting them and then gripped him too tight. He also had bruises forming where the shackles had been, presumably from all of the bucking and jerking he had done while being electrocuted. He lifted one hand up, intending to trace his fingertips on the black, purple, and blue contusions now covering his arms, but he was promptly distracted by how much his hand was still shaking. He held both of his hands up in front of him and noticed it looked like he was doing jazz hands, when, in fact, he was trying his darnedest to hold his hands still. Whether the tremors were due to the repeated shock treatments, the disturbing phantom shocks he was still periodically suffering from, the sleep deprivation, the lack of sustenance, or the emotional damage he had incurred, Donnie did not know. Maybe it was from all of the above . . .

Needless to say, it had been a rough night and he wasn't feeling very well. In fact, he felt just plain lousy. Like _really_ lousy. His stomach was rolling, as if to warn him that a toilet or bucket was going to be necessary in the near future. Donnie checked to make sure his waste basket was within a moment's reach, just in case. He felt chilled and overly warm at the same time, which he knew were signs of a fever, but he pressed that thought out of his mind. The last thing he needed right now was to come down with some kind of an illness that would make him look even more inferior in front of his family.

Donnie raked his shaky hands down his face and gazed down at his T-phone to check the time.

It was late. Well, actually, some would call it early. It was all a matter of perspective. Whatever one called it, he probably should have headed off to bed hours ago, but, as tired as he was, he didn't feel much like sleeping. He was too stressed out. That, and the pounding in his head would undoubtedly keep him awake.

His family had been asleep for several hours now. Upon their arrival back at the lair, Master Splinter had gone straight to his room with barely a word. He had been understandably quiet all the way home and he had clearly wanted to be alone after what had happened. Donatello couldn't blame him. Master Splinter had been forced to fight his own daughter in order to save his sons and then he had to watch her get washed down a sewage drain, leaving him to wonder what had become of her or if he would ever see her again.

As the designated family medic, Donnie had gone right to his lab where he had a makeshift infirmary set up for rough nights like this. That was where he had quickly treated Raph for dehydration.

Donnie wasn't the only turtle who had had a rough night . . .

While Donnie was being subjected to Karai's twisted form of electroshock therapy, his brothers had been exposed to other forms of cruelty in Karai's elaborate trap she had designed with the help of Shredder's rabble of mutant henchmen. Karai and her cohorts had managed to capture all four of the turtles and had placed them into specially designed individual traps in order to force Master Splinter out of the lair to rescue them and fight her. Raph had been trapped in a room Karai had named "The Hothead." Donnie had been informed that Karai had exposed Raph to extremely high temperatures which had left him with a moderate case of heat stroke. When they had gotten home, Donnie had made Raph intake a quart of fluid along with a couple of electrolyte tablets before ordering him to get a good night's sleep. Donnie was confident Raph would be fine by morning, although Donnie would make sure that his second oldest brother drank plenty of water over the next twenty-four hours, just to be sure Raph was properly hydrated. Thankfully, Raph had been the only member of the family that had actually required some form of medical treatment from Donnie. Leonardo had been in a trap Karai had referred to as "The Courage Slayer" which Leo had said consisted of a large, descending ball with dozens of katana swords spinning around at alarmingly high speeds. Luckily, Leo had figured out a way to escape before being chopped into teeny-tiny pieces. Leo had been unharmed and he was able to rescue the rest of his brothers. Mikey had been practically unscathed, as well. He had been in a trap Karai had called "The Flush-O-Matic" which Donnie had done his best to avoid getting any further details about. There were some things he was better off not knowing. Donnie did know that Mikey had gotten a pretty good zap of electricity when he had removed the helmet from Donnie's head during his rescue, but other than that, Mikey was perfectly fine, save for being a little down in the dumps about Karai. Before treating Raph, Donnie had given Mikey a grateful bear hug for saving him from his trap and he had sent Mikey to bed so that he could focus on Raph. Donnie was sure that Mikey would be back to his normal self when he woke up. Well, as _normal_ as Mikey could get . . .

After Mikey and Raph had gone off to their rooms, Donnie was left all alone in his lab, which was where he was presently still sitting. Donnie stared down at his failed experiment again and his thoughts turned to Leo. Donnie was not sure what had happened to his oldest brother after they had arrived home. He assumed that Leo had gone to his room, possibly to meditate or just go straight to bed. Donnie could see that Leo was very upset about what had happened to Karai and Leo was caught up in worrying about how it would affect Master Splinter.

A part of Donnie wondered if Leonardo was purposely avoiding him because of what had happened earlier in the evening. Perhaps Leo blamed him for all that had occurred. Donnie assumed that Leo was probably angry with him. For his failure to find a cure for the Brain Worm, for the argument that had broken out between the brothers, for storming out of the lair, for getting himself captured, for losing Karai, for everything . . .

 _Is there no end to my incompetence?_

Donnie buried his face in his quivering hands, partly to hide from the pain and the guilt and partly because he was finding it challenging just to hold his head up anymore. The room was starting to spin and his stomach was threatening to purge what little contents it possessed, which would not be food since he hadn't eaten all day. It would be something far, _far_ more unpleasant that rhymed with pile. He was definitely coming down with something.

With his face concealed in his hands, Donnie didn't notice someone had entered the lab to see him wallowing in his growing misery.

A stern voice from beside Donnie startled the genius turtle out of his thoughts.

"Donnie, why are you still awake?"

 _Couldn't I ask you the same thing_? Was what Donnie thought, but what Donnie actually responded was entirely different and far less confrontational. "I – I had a few things I needed to work on," Donnie said, uncovering his face and straightening up his posture so that he was leaning back rather than forward.

Donnie could see there was irritation burning in Leo's blue eyes and his brother folded his arms across his plastron the way that he always did when he was disgusted about something.

"Donnie, it's only a few hours until sunrise. You need to get some rest," Leo said firmly, in that authoritative tone that Leo liked to use when he didn't want anyone to question his orders. Leo's brothers knew the tone all too well, although Raph had long ago gone tone-deaf to it. That was because Raph had made it a personal goal in life to defy Leo's every order, always striving to be the biggest pain in Leo's shell as turtley possible. It drove Leo crazy.

Peering up at Leo, Donnie bit back another sarcastic comment that wanted to slip out.

 _Oh, now he cares about me getting rest? Where was all this brotherly concern when he told me I wasn't trying hard enough? Where was the concern when I forewent sleep the past four or five nights to work on the serum that I hadn't worked hard enough on? The one he had chewed me out for?_

Again, the actual response was much less hostile than his thoughts. "I will . . . once I clean up the lab a little bit," Donnie said as his eyes once again fell upon his desk. If he didn't clean up the mess that he had made, it would just be there first thing in the morning to pour salt into his wounds once again.

"That can wait until morning. Right now, you need to go to bed. This isn't up for debate, Donatello," Leo said, his voice lacking any warmth or sympathy as he spoke. What Leo had said came out as an icy command, rather than showing any real regard for Donatello's health or feelings. What Leo had said was almost as cold and insensitive as what he had said before Donnie had stomped out of the lair earlier.

Maybe it was from all the distress and fatigue, but something inside of Donnie snapped and he couldn't hold back any longer. He hadn't intended to initiate another quarrel with his oldest brother, but the harsh words poured out of his mouth before his head could filter and edit what he was saying.

Donnie had tried to remain passive aggressive, but Leo had to push him until his scathing sarcasm came out in full-force.

"As a matter of fact, it can't wait until morning. After all, you said it yourself, Leo. I'm not trying hard enough. Why let something as trivial as sleep stop me from working?" Donnie snarled in contempt, feeling a flood of anger suddenly course through him similar to how the electricity from the helmet had. The anger, however, was much more fleeting than the electroshock torture, and, as soon as the acrimonious words had passed his lips, Donnie regretted them and wished he could take them back.

Sometimes, being exhausted, outraged, sharp-witted and highly intelligent was a dangerous combination. It was the verbal equivalent of a Molotov cocktail and someone's feelings were bound to get hurt in the carnage.

Leo stood there dumbfounded for a lingering moment, not expecting that kind of scornful response from the brother with the gentlest disposition. He didn't realize that Donnie was still harboring a grudge over what had transpired earlier in the evening. Leo had mistakenly assumed that all was forgiven.

"Donnie . . . Listen, I should have never said that," Leo said near a whisper, all confidence instantly stripped from his usually unwavering voice. The tenderness and kindness that Donnie had needed to hear earlier from his big brother was finally there, but it came too much, too little, too late. The damage had already been done. Leo could see from the expression on his little brother's face that he had hurt Donnie far worse than he had thought. Leo could see the tears glistening in Donnie's puppy-dog brown eyes and Donnie's bottom lip quivering against his will. It was obvious that Donnie was trying and failing not to breakdown in front of him and just that thought alone was killing Leo inside. Donnie rarely out-and-out cried, but there he was, broken and hurt, fighting against his tears tooth and nail, all because of what Leo had said.

"No . . . you know what, Leo? You had every right to say what you did," Donnie said with so much sorrow, Leo's heart sunk even further into the pit of his stomach than it already had, burning in the acid that was churning in the depths of his gut. As Donnie continued, his shattered voice succeeded in making Leo feel far worse than just a moment ago. "Let's face it. I just keeping messing things up left and right. Some brother I am . . . All I've ever been good for is fixing things, and now, I can't even seem to do that anymore. What good am I to you guys?" Donnie muttered, attempting to stand up, but the effort to do so nearly caused his knees to buckle underneath him. He barely managed to stay upright.

"Donnie, are you okay?" Leo asked, his voice filled with panic. He lunged forward and grabbed Donnie by the arms just as his brother was about to collapse. Donnie let out a small yelp of pain in response to Leo grabbing him.

It was then that Leo noticed the bruises encasing his brother's normally olive-green skin. It was then than Leo noticed the heat radiating off of his brother. It was then that Leo noticed how tired, pale, and emaciated his brother looked.

"Donnie, what did they do to you?" Leo gasped, his eyes widened with fear. He hadn't seen much of Donnie since they had escaped. Only for a few moments after they had freed him from his trap. After Mikey had stepped in and removed the weird helmet that Donnie had been hooked up to, Leo and Raph had removed Donnie's shackles. Donnie had seemed pretty shaken up and unsteady on his feet, but he had insisted that he was okay, as usual. After that, they had gone to help Master Splinter and they had gotten there just in the nick of time to save their father and April from being shot by Tiger Claw. It was at that point they had discovered that Karai was gone, perhaps forever. Leonardo had offered his father words of comfort, but Leo had seen that Master Splinter was still hurting inside. That had been why Leo had focused his concentration on their Sensei all the way home, walking beside him and keeping a close eye on him, trying to offer his father his support and reassurance as much as he could. Once they had returned to the lair, Master Splinter had immediately retired to his room. Leo had opted to do the same. He, too, had been distraught over what had happened and he his body required rest. Leo had assumed the others had also gone to bed, but when he had gotten up to get a glass of water, he had noticed the lights in Donnie's lab were still on. Leo should have known better than to assume that Donnie would go to bed voluntarily.

Leo looked down at Donnie, who was struggling just to stand, and Leo suddenly found himself struggling to keep his composure. His younger brother's arms were riddled with contusions that Leo had not seen earlier. It irritated Leo to discover that his brother was this banged up, plus, he was suffering from a fever, and yet, Donnie had most likely not said a word to anyone about it. But what made Leo even more upset was that he had not noticed that Donnie was hurt until just now. Obviously, he should have checked on his brothers closer before going to bed.

Once Donnie started to regain his sense of balance and he could see reasonably straight again, Donnie realized that Leo was staring at the marks all over his arms. Always the most timid and reserved of the brothers, Donnie was embarrassed by the attention he had garnered from the injuries he had sustained.

Donnie shrugged out of Leo's hold and attempted to cover the bruises up by folding his arms over each other. He pulled his arms tightly against his lower plastron as though he was trying to comfort himself.

"I – I'm fine," Donnie stuttered and his gaze trailed down to the floor, intentionally averting his oldest brother's piercing eyes.

"No! You're not fine, Donnie! You're obviously injured and you're burning up!" Leo howled much crosser than he had meant to, causing Donnie to flinch and step back.

"It's just a side effect of the shocks. I took some aspirin. That should take care of it," Donnie said, blowing it off as though it was nothing.

It was typical Donnie, trying to downplay or hide his condition altogether so as not to bother anyone with his problems. Donnie was constantly fussing and worrying about his entire family like a mother hen, but when it came to treating his own wounds, illnesses, or troubles, he would become detached, negligent and extremely secretive. Donnie had a nasty tendency to keep his feelings bottled up inside, to the point that he was constantly putting his own health at risk because he didn't want to inconvenience anyone.

"Donnie, why didn't you say something?" Leo asked in a much shriller voice than normal.

Donnie hadn't really thought about saying something to anyone until just now when Leo had asked about it. Besides, who would Donnie have said something to? Master Splinter had enough to deal with after what had happened, Leo was mad at him, Raph was not feeling well himself, and Mikey would have just freaked out. Who exactly was Donnie supposed to talk to?

That was one of the main reasons Donnie kept mostly to himself. A lot of times, he didn't feel like he had anybody to talk to anyway. His family had their own share of problems to deal with, so he certainly didn't need to go burdening them with his own insignificant troubles. They all had more important things to do than listen to him. Leo was always busy training and strategizing. Raph was always busy pounding on defenseless objects and purposely avoiding Donnie because he was a 'hopeless nerd.' Mikey was always off in his own little world, and, half of the time, Mikey couldn't understand what Donnie was saying anyway. And Master Splinter . . . well, he and Donnie didn't exactly have a lot in common. Most of their conversations were rather awkward.

More and more frequently, Donnie felt as though he didn't really belong and that nobody wanted him around. There were times he felt more like an unacknowledged handyman than an actual member of the family. On those rare occasions that he did try to open up to his family about something that was on his mind or ask them for any kind of help, it seemed like they were always too caught up in their own things and none of them ever seemed interested in what he had to say. It was almost as though he was invisible. His family would attempt to be polite about ignoring him or not having time for him, with the exception of Raph, who Donnie could always count on to let out an irritated sigh, give him an eye roll, tell him to shut up, and/or call him cruel names.

Donnie would have talked to his family about how he had been feeling lately if he had thought it would do any good, but he didn't want to sound like he was complaining or being ungrateful. He loved his family so very much and the last thing he wanted to do was become a burden to them. So he opted to keep it all locked up inside and tried his best to pretend as though nothing was wrong, but that was turning out to be more of a challenge than he thought it would be. Donnie was starting to feel like he had no one to turn to. He felt so isolated from everyone else, now, more than ever. Even with Leo standing right there next to him, he felt completely alone.

Ironically, Donnie was feeling like he was trapped.

Donnie thought again about Leo's question about why he hadn't told anyone about his condition and he finally knew the answer.

"Nobody would have cared anyway," Donnie said so quietly that Leo had barely heard it. Donnie had not actually meant to say the words out loud and he was unaware that he had done so until he looked up and saw the shocked expression on his oldest brother's face. The realization that Leo had heard what he was thinking made Donnie shrink back slightly, not sure what to do or say at this point.

"That's not true, Donnie. Why would you say something like that?" Leonardo quickly replied. He tried to reach out for his hurting little brother's hand, but Donatello backed away, almost as if he was trying to protect himself from something.

Donnie's eyes were threatening to betray him and let the tears that he was fighting so hard to keep contained fall down his cheeks. He didn't want his oldest brother to see him fall apart like this. He refused to let Leo see him cry like some broken-hearted child. Such an obvious display of weakness would make his brother think even less of him than he already did.

"I . . . I need to go out and get s – some fresh air," Donnie stammered, starting to walk away from his brother, keeping his eyes fixed on the open entrance to his laboratory as he attempted to make his exit.

Just like earlier in the evening, Donnie's response to his grief and the first sign of conflict was to simply walk away from the problem at hand rather than talking to his brother like he should have. Leo wondered if Donnie had learned anything from what had happened.

 _Why does he have to always shut us out like this_? Leo thought, frustrated with his genius brother's endless stubbornness and predictability. He hated that Donnie felt the need to constantly push them away. It was like Donnie would rather suffer with his inner demons than ask someone for help.

"Donnie! It's the middle of the night. You can't just leave again! You're hurt and you're sick. You need to get some sleep or you'll make yourself worse," Leo growled at Donnie's back, hoping to talk some sense into him this time.

Leo watched Donnie stop in his tracks and the genius turtle's shoulders tensed up as though he was angry for just an instant, but they then slackened and hung down in either shame or utter sadness. Whatever the case, Leo could see that his brother was waging some sort of internal battle and the nonverbal signals that Donnie was giving off told Leo that Donnie was not faring well. Leo wished Donnie would let him in. _Why won't he let anyone help?_

"I won't be gone for too long. I'll be fine. I'm just going to go bring the Stealth Cycle back since I'm the one who took it out and never brought it back. Hey, at least this way, the worthless repairman will be doing something useful for a change," Donnie said not out of anger, but out of sheer dejection, as if he truly believed that he was useless.

"Donnie, stop . . . please. Look at me," Leo pleaded, edging closer to his brother.

Donnie reluctantly turned around and Leo could see the unmistakable pain and torment dulling his little brother's eyes. Those big brown orbs that normally beamed with brilliance and ingenuity were unnervingly hollow and empty. Donnie looked so weary and somehow appeared to be gaunter than earlier. Seeing his little brother so hopeless and depressed made Leo begin to tear up.

"Donnie, please stay. You're upset and not feeling well. Please, don't leave like this," Leo implored, allowing his voice to crack uncharacteristically. He just wanted Donnie to know he meant what he said. Leo desperately wanted him to stay.

There was a moment of hesitation and it looked as though Donnie was reconsidering his decision, but his mind was set.

"Don't wait up," Donnie sighed out, looking at Leo one last time before exiting the lab. Leo could only stand there and watch his brother walk away again, this time, knowing for sure that his brother was leaving because _he_ had hurt him.

* * *

 _ **To be continued . . .**_


	2. Chapter 2 - Of Bikes and Sensei

_***Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.**_

 _ ***Author's Note: Thank you so very much to those who have provided me with such wonderful support and feedback for 'You're Needed Here Now, Donnie' and for my other story, 'A Shell of Himself.' I am extremely grateful for your reviews and to those of you who have 'favorited' and/or followed me and my stories thus far. It means a lot to me. Thank you again. So, here's chapter 2. I really hope you enjoy reading it. If you like it, please let me know. I should be posting chapter 3 soon . . .**_

* * *

 **Chapter 2 – Of Bikes and Sensei**

The Stealth Bike was parked exactly where Donnie had left it earlier in the night, just outside of the warehouse where Donnie had been kidnapped on account of his own stupidity. Fortunately for Donnie, Karai and her rabble of cronies had no interest in stealing the motorcycle that the genius turtle had built. They were apparently only interested in stealing Donnie. That was actually great news for Donatello, because if they would have stolen the Stealth Bike, Raphael most likely would have killed Donnie for taking it out in the first place. Even though Donnie had crafted the bike for all of them to use, somewhere along the line, Raph had sort of laid claim to the bike and everyone had started referring to it as 'Raph's bike.' Donnie wasn't about to question the claim. Donnie valued his fully functional limbs too much to argue with Raph about something as trivial as whose bike it was.

Using the shadows to conceal himself, Donnie leaned over the side of the dilapidated building he had been perched on top of the past ten minutes and silently inspected the alleyway below him. His aching head throbbed in protest of his decision to bend down and his stomach threatened to expel its contents to the world below. It seemed like even the slightest bit of movement triggered more throbbing in his skull, which, in turn, made him even queasier. It was a vicious circle. Donnie winced and pressed his shaky right hand over the top of his head in hopes of relieving some of the escalating pain from his migraine. He had also been trying to disregard the fact that his skin felt much warmer to the touch than it probably should have, but it was getting kind of hard to ignore it at this point. Especially since he had now broken out into a cold sweat and he was starting to shiver uncontrollably even though it wasn't even cold outside. Much to Donnie's dismay, the aspirin he had taken earlier was not only failing to knock down the headache, but it was also failing to reduce his steadily rising internal temperature. The headache and the fever raging through his body were making it harder and harder for Donnie to think straight.

 _Focus, Donatello_ , he reminded himself, knowing that if he let himself dwell on the pain afflicting him, his reasoning faculties would be compromised and his reaction time would be significantly slower.

In the back of his mind, Donnie could hear one of his father's favorite sayings ringing out. ' _Pain is an illusion_.' As a self-taught scientist and practitioner, Donnie could not be entirely convinced that this statement was, in fact, accurate. Donatello had a respectable understanding of how the body and central nervous system worked and the different types and classifications of pain. He possessed a great deal of knowledge about nociceptive and neuropathic factors, as well as inflammatory mediators and psychogenic disturbances, which all worked in tandem to disprove the theory of pain being said 'illusion.' Not only was their sufficient scientific evidence to refute Master Splinter's philosophy on pain, there was physical and anecdotal evidence as well. Donnie had been in pain plenty of times in his life, and, not once, did that pain feel like a sensorial illusion. It felt like . . . well . . . pain. A part of Donnie had always figured that alleging that pain was an illusion was just Master Splinter's way of getting them to stop whining when they were hurt. Plus, Donnie had seen Master Splinter in pain before. If it was in fact an illusion, why did Master Splinter head straight for the freezer and grab a cheesicle every time he was hurting?

Of course, Donatello had never actually had the guts to verbally question the validity of Master Splinter's hallowed statement, knowing that such impudence would most likely result in a lesson on pain that Donatello would undoubtedly never forget.

Besides, Donatello did think that there was some warrant to the quote his father brandished so much. Donnie truly believed that pain was indeed controllable if one was able to focus their concentration on something more constructive. In other words, the key to pain management was to fixate one's attention on something that had the potential to distract oneself from one's suffering.

Taking a page from his own hypothesis on pain management, Donnie focused his attention back down to the alley below rather than worrying about his head feeling as though it was about to explode. Donnie had to focus his efforts on getting Raph's bike back, or his volatile brother was going to break his shell. Something told Donnie that that would be considerably more painful than a passing migraine . . .

After what had happened earlier in the evening, Donatello was exercising extreme, Leonardo-like caution, not feeling any desire to go waltzing right into another trap like some idiot. Hence the reason he was clinging so tightly to his bo-staff, and, hence the reason he was still balanced on the ledge of the rooftop. He continued to study the bike from afar, intently surveying the surrounding perimeter from above and scanning for even the slightest sign of activity. As Donnie stared down at the motionless, dimly lit alley, he couldn't stifle a yawn. He wasn't sure if it was a yawn of boredom or exhaustion at this point.

 _If I don't get my shell in gear, I won't get back before daylight . . . and then, Leo will never let me hear the end of it . . ._

Donnie could already hear the lecture that he would be in store for if he didn't get back home before the sun came up. In his head, he could hear Leo deploying such classics as:

 _How could you risk being seen, Donnie?_

 _What were you thinking, Donnie?_

 _Do you have any idea what would happen to you if the government got their hands on you, Donnie?_

That last one was Leo's go-to reproval for any one of them being out in the daytime. Whether there was any truth to the widely held belief that the government was in the practice of abducting living beings for the sole purpose of conducting cruel and unusual experiments on them, Donnie did not know. Donnie liked to think that the government had better things to do with tax dollars than to dissect every strange creature they came across, but Leo didn't seem to think so.

 _Ah, Leo . . ._

Just thinking about Leo and the impending lecture Donnie was going to be on the receiving end of made the brainy turtle realize that he really should make a point of getting home before the sun rose. There was a miniscule chance that returning to the lair before daybreak might spare Donnie from one of Leo's infamous talking-tos, or, at the very least, maybe Donnie would be lucky enough to get a condensed version.

Donnie sheathed his bo-staff to free up his hands so he would have an easier time scaling down the side of the building, using the fire escapes and a few conveniently placed pipes and air conditioning units to assist with his descent. Within seconds, he was on the ground only a few feet away from the Stealth Bike.

Quickly making his way over to the Stealth Bike, Donnie was just outstretching his fingers towards the seat of the bike where he had left the black helmet with the number sixteen on the front of it, when he heard movement coming from the opposite end of the dark alley.

After a sharp intake of breath, Donnie jerked his body bolt upright and nervously turned to face the very same building where he had been attacked and taken prisoner only a few hours ago. Tucked in the back corner of the alley, just off to the right of the garage door that holographic April had led him into, was a metal dumpster, enshrouded in shadows. It was the perfect hiding space, for there was no way Donnie could have seen anyone or anything crouching behind it from his earlier vantage point on the rooftop. The dimness of the alleyway made it virtually impossible for the naked eye to see anything in that corner.

A low, menacing growl resonated in the night air, sending a shiver up and down Donnie's spine as he anxiously stared ahead.

"Well, well, well . . . what do we have here?" Came a gravelly voice and Donnie knew in an instant that he was in a whole lot of trouble.

 _Ah, come on! Rahzar? Really? This night just keeps getting worse and worse . . ._ Donnie mentally groaned.

The tall, boney figure of the once human martial artist superstar, Chris Bradford, stepped out from behind the concealing darkness of the dumpster and started to approach Donnie with long, brisk strides, rapidly closing the gap between them to within about twenty feet. For a moment, Donnie considered making a break for it, thinking he had just enough time to jump into the Stealth Bike and race off before Rahzar could reach him, but the skeletal mutant was advancing towards Donnie much faster than the turtle had initially thought. If Donnie attempted his getaway plan, he was pretty sure he wasn't quick enough to avoid getting caught. Plus, he would have had to let his guard down, which would have left him totally open to an attack. Instead of trying to flee, Donnie decided his only option was to stand his ground and try to fight Bradford/Rahzar off. That didn't mean it was a good option, but he didn't have any other choice. He reached for his bo-staff, pulling it out of its sheath and getting into a defensive stance.

On the bright side, a one-on-one fight gave him a lot better odds than his three-on-one bout earlier in the night. And that wasn't even counting the Mousers . . .

On the not-so bright side of things, Donnie knew that he was seriously outmatched by the projectile covered mutant, even if he would have been in top form, which he _so_ was not. Donnie was completely exhausted, lightheaded, feverish, and, he had a debilitating headache.

So, the long and short of it was that he was toast.

In his thudding head, Donnie could hear the condemning words he had foolishly said to Leo just before he had left the lair taunting him. _"I won't be gone for too long. I'll be fine. I'm just going out to go and bring the Stealth Cycle back . . . "_

 _Real smooth, Genius. Way to jinx yourself, Donatello . . ._

Tightening his grip on his bo, Donnie tried in vain to gulp down the sizeable lump that had formed in his restricted throat as he watched the towering werewolf-looking mutant draw nearer to his position. The closer Rahzar got, the less confident Donnie felt about his chances of walking away from this unscathed. Heck, he was not feeling so good about his chances of walking, period. The frightened turtle couldn't help but to stare at the mouthful of nasty fangs and the razor-sharp bones literally sticking out of his enemy's body. Witty Donnie oftentimes liked to think of Rahzar's skeletal condition as bonefrastructure, although the droll little pun of Donnie's didn't seem quite so humorous right about now.

On numerous occasions, Donnie had seen firsthand just how malicious and dangerous Shredder's highly-trained henchman – or henchdog in accordance with one's personal preference – could be. The four turtles combined had a difficult time taking Bradford down in a fight, so the prospect of having to face Bradford without his brothers by his side was certainly doing nothing to boost Donnie's hopes of winning. If anything, it was boosting Donnie's likelihood of puking, forcing him to waste precious time and energy on trying to fight off the heaves while preparing to try to fight off someone much bigger, stronger, and better than him. Donnie did his best to remain positive . . . and not to vomit all over his opponent, which would be just plain embarrassing.

"Isn't it way past your bedtime, Bradford?" Donnie asked cynically, taking a page straight from his second oldest brother, Raphael's playbook. Like Raph, Donnie had been trying to come off all tough and intimidating, as well as undaunted by the situation, but it was an epic fail at best. That was mostly due to the telltale tremor in Donnie's voice that he couldn't manage to keep in check, making him sound more like a scared little kid than a fearless, skilled ninja warrior. Donnie would have explained to Bradford that the tremor in his voice was on account of his fever, but somehow, he didn't think that Bradford would be all that sympathetic to his plight. Not only that, but chalking his tremor up to his fever would definitely not do his self-image any favors. Donnie would have just sounded like a hopeless wimp, making up some lame excuse. Besides, Donnie knew that Bradford could see the fear in his eyes. Donnie was guessing it was unmistakable since he had never had much of a poker-face in situations such as this. Fear was the hardest emotion for him to hide.

"Actually, I stayed up late . . . just for you. The others didn't think any of you would be stupid enough to come back for your little bike tonight after what had happened, but apparently, they were wrong . . . and I was right. Lucky me," Bradford hoarsely growled in a voice that sounded as though it had come straight out of a horror movie. To make matters creepier, the mutant dog's yellow-orange colored eyes seemed to be glowing in the dark, leering at Donnie as though he was a choice piece of meat that he wanted to sink his teeth into.

Donnie started to cower slightly in fear behind the minimal shelter his bo-staff provided, until his currently sluggish brain began to finally process just what Rahzar had just said. A sudden onset of outrage made Donnie straighten into a more upright position to better exhibit his disapproval.

 _Wait? Did Chris Bradford just call me stupid?_ Donnie thought, offended by the insinuation. Especially coming from the likes of a half-witted, slow-on-the-uptake moron like Chris Bradford. Before his second mutation, Bradford was all muscle, no brain. _Not unlike Raph_ , Donnie quipped to himself, amused by his own cleverness. A thin smirk stretched across Donnie's face and he found himself wishing that Mikey would have been there so he could have run that one past his little brother. Donnie knew that Mikey would have found the insult to Raph just as amusing as he had. After all, no one appreciated a well-timed cheap shot on Raph as much as –

Donnie stopped himself mid-thought.

 _Uh . . . hello? Earth to Donnie. Big, ugly, sadistic mutant . . . Does that ring a bell? The one who wants nothing more than to see you dead . . . or, best case scenario, to skin you alive . . . And he's standing right next to you, you idiot! Ugh! Bradford was right. I really am that stupid,_ Donnie criticized himself for his untimely joking around. It was hardly the appropriate moment or the place for a standup comedy routine.

Bradford was now only a few feet away from where Donnie was standing, still edging closer to his intended target.

It felt as though someone with the power to control space and time had pushed a slow motion button and had set the world into a woefully slothful kinesis as Donnie apprehensively watched his looming opponent's every move. Donnie's eyes once again latched onto Rahzar's wickedly sharp claws and he couldn't escape a sickening sense of déjà-vu. This was the second time in one night that Donnie had been stalked by Bradford, only this time, Donnie was fairly certain he wouldn't be knocked out by some kind of painless injection. The hulking, clothesless mutant dog clearly wasn't carrying a syringe anywhere on him. Donnie had a bad feeling that Bradford had much more excruciating ways of knocking him out in mind. Ones that would no doubt leave Donnie wishing Bradford would have used a syringe instead . . .

* * *

"Fearless? Why are you still up?" Raph groggily asked, leaning heavily against the entrance of his genius brother's lab for a moment before making his way inside. The red-banded turtle was still attempting to blink the sleep out of his droopy eyes, so he was more than a little suspect of his eyesight at this point. Especially when he peered into the open lab door to see not Donnie sitting at his desk, but rather Leo. Raph deliberately blinked his eyelids several more times to clear his vision, but he was still seeing Leo.

 _That's not right . . ._

Raph was used to catching his nerdy little brother in the act of tinkering on some project in his lab, burning the midnight oil so to speak, but he certainly was not used to finding his older brother in the lab this late at night. Leo had told them time and time again, much to Raph's annoyance, that a good night's sleep was essential for a healthy mind. Ironically, as if to prove Leo wrong, the brother with the healthiest mind in the household was the biggest insomniac of them all. Raph knew for a fact that Donnie was generally not one to get more than two to three hours of sleep a night, tops. The reason that Raph knew this, was because he was the closest competitor to taking the family insomniac title away from Donnie. Yes, Raph was a bit of a night owl himself. He forwent sleep almost as much as Donnie, although lately, Raph had noticed that Donnie had really stepped up his game as far as sleep deprivation was concerned. In fact, Donnie was going above and beyond his normal lack of sleep. Several times over the past week or so, Raph had seen the light glowing in Donnie's lab far later than usual. This had left Raph wondering if Donnie had been getting any sleep at all. It had maybe even worried him a little – although he would never willingly admit to that aloud.

That recent deficit in Donnie's sleep just so happened to be the exact reason Raph had headed towards the lab in the first place. Raph had actually gotten up to use the restroom for the second time in the last hour – no thanks to Donnie for making him down about ten gallons of water before he had gone to bed – when Raph had noticed the lights in the lab were still on. Fed up with Donnie not taking care of himself, _again_ , Raph was planning on confronting his workaholic brother about his major case of sleeplessness, and then, dragging his shell off to bed. Unfortunately, the absence of Donnie in the lab sort of foiled Raph's intervention plans.

The only brother Raph found in the lab was Leo and Raph had absolutely no intention of hauling Leo out of the lab. His older brother could take care of himself and Raph certainly wasn't going to lose any sleep over Leo losing any sleep. Sure, only a few hours before, Leo had saved Raph's shell from being baked to death in Karai's little trap, but Raph was still peeved at Leo for chewing Donnie out earlier in the evening. Leo's terminal superiority complex had resulted in a verbal free-for-all between the brothers. Raph blamed high-and-mighty Leo for all of the events of the evening. If Leo would have just kept his big mouth shut . . .

Raph tried to curb his anger, not wanting to get into another shouting match with Leo when everyone else in the lair was sleeping, but it was difficult for Raph to control his temper when it came to dealing with his pompous older brother.

"What are you doing in Donnie's lab? Do you have any idea what time it is?" Raph grumbled tersely, trying to keep his voice down so as not to wake the others, but it was still evident that he was disgusted, even without the added volume he normally deployed. The sleep was wearing off and Raph was starting to feel like his irritable old self again.

"Of course I know what time it is, Raph. Why do you think I came down here in the first place? I'm willing to bet it was for the same reason as you," Leo groaned, unable to hide the weariness in his tone.

"Okay . . . so where is the little technogeek? Did he just forget to turn the lights off in the lab or something?" Raph muttered, rubbing a hand against the side of his neck, trying to get the stiffness out. Apparently, being exposed to extreme heat for a prolonged period of time must do a real number on the muscles, because Raph was starting to feel stiff and sore all over the place. Of course, his misery could also have been a side-effect of getting his shell kicked, and then, being cold-cocked by that giant meathead, Rocksteady. Raph moved his hand upwards to rub the tender knob on the back of his head, courtesy of the mutant rhino's hammer.

"He went out," Leo said just above a whisper, turning his gaze away from his brother as though he was ashamed of something. In all actuality, Leo was turning away because he had no desire to watch his brother go ballistic yet again.

Just as Leo had predicted, Raph's green eyes instantly narrowed into infuriated slits that were fixed on his older brother. The younger turtle's posture then turned defensive.

"What do you mean ' _out_?'" Raph hissed through gritted teeth. Anger was rising inside of him at an alarming rate, like a raging fire had been ignited within, threatening to burn everything within its path.

"Raph, I'm too tired to fight with you," Leo said, massaging his temples. "Besides, I think ' _out_ ' is pretty self-explanatory. He went to get the Stealth Bike back." Leo's tone was blended with tinges of both disgust and disappointment.

Whether Leo was disgusted and disappointed with himself or Donnie, Raph was not sure. Nor did he care . . . He was too preoccupied with containing his temper long enough to find out just where Donnie was before he beat his older brother into oblivion.

"Wait! Are you telling me after all that happened tonight, you just let Donnie go off to get the Stealth Bike . . . _alone_?" Raph seethed, stomping towards his older brother and hovering unnervingly close to Leo, who was still sitting in Donnie's blue task chair. Raph dropped his hands to his sides and curled them into white-knuckled fists, readying to punch something or someone . . . hard. Really, _really_ hard . . .

Sensing that Raph was about to blow a fuse, Leo pushed his chair back to get a few feet away from his ticking time bomb of a brother before standing up. It hadn't done Leo any good to open up the distance between he and Raph, because as soon as Leo stood up, Raph instantly closed the gap between them, getting right up in Leo's face.

Now, it was Leo's turn to get defensive.

"Yes! That's exactly what I'm telling you, Raph! I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen to reason. You know how Donnie is," Leonardo said, letting his anger come through. He then tossed his hands up in the air in an obvious display of exasperation, nearly hitting Raph in the process. Luckily, Raph hadn't seemed to have noticed just how close Leo had come to accidentally hitting him. Had he noticed, the brawl would have been on.

Instead, Raph crossed his arms over his chest in a huff as he glared daggers at his older brother.

"Yeah . . . I know how he is, but I don't think you do! I don't think you have a clue how he is!" Raph snapped, making no attempt to conceal his resentment for Leo at this particular moment.

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?" Leo questioned, clenching his hands at his sides and lowering his eye ridges to express his growing irritation with his younger brother's accusations.

"It means that, lately, you couldn't have cared less how Donnie is! You've been too busy obsessing over getting your little girlfriend back to see that you've been pushing Donnie past his breaking point! He's tired, he's upset, and, because of what you said to him earlier tonight, he now believes you think he's not good enough!" Raph yelled, no longer concerning himself with keeping his voice down. At this point, he could already hear that Mikey was approaching, which meant that Master Splinter would be on his way as well.

As if on cue, Master Splinter entered the laboratory and he did not look pleased. Mikey soon followed, but he looked more confused than displeased.

" _What_ is the meaning of _this_?" Master Splinter asked, putting excessive emphasis on the words 'what' and 'this.'

Leonardo and Raphael shuddered at the sheer volume and incensed tone of their father's voice. Knowing that an angry Master Splinter was not to be trifled with, they obediently turned towards their father and essentially stood at attention, awaiting their imminent butt chewing.

Always striving to look good in the eyes of his father, Leonardo was the first to speak up, but he soon found himself wishing he had not.

"Raph is upset because Donnie's gone, Sensei," Leo said as his blue eyes suddenly could not make contact with Master Splinter's reddish-brown ones. The eldest turtle's eyes darted nervously about the lab and finally came to a halt upon the black substance covering Donnie's desk. Seeing the abandoned remnants of Donnie's experiment that had gone awry earlier in the evening made Leo's chest tighten with a heavy pang of guilt. Up until now, Leo had not stopped to think how Donnie must have felt when his experiment had failed after all of that time and effort he had put into it.

"What do you mean ' _gone_?'" Master Splinter inquired, pulling Leo out of his thoughts.

A devious smirk spread across Raph's face when he heard Master Splinter ask almost the exact same question that he had just moments before. Somehow, Raph didn't think that Leonardo (aka 'Splinter Junior') would respond by saying that 'gone' was 'pretty self-explanatory,' the way that he had done with Raph.

Raph was right. Leo's response lacked all of the bitterness and snippiness that he had used with Raph. No surprise there.

"H – he went out to get the Stealth Bike," Leo answered with a slight stutter, bowing his head in both deference and shame. He was starting to feel as though he was on trial and everyone thought he was guilty. Even worse, he was starting to get a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach about his decision to let Donnie leave the lair by himself.

"Donatello told you this?" Master Splinter asked his oldest son with an impossible to read expression that made Leonardo cringe with dread. His father's lack of emotion left Leonardo wondering how to safely respond to the question posed, for he had no visible way of predicting which way the conversation was going.

"Hai, Sensei," Leo said with waning confidence, assuming that offering up his compliance was the best alternative.

"So after all that has transpired this evening, you willingly let your brother go off on his own? Have you learned nothing from this experience? Is it your intention to repeat the same mistakes over and over again?" Master Splinter asked in a biting manner that took Leonardo somewhat by surprise. The spiteful reaction Leo had received from Raph was not shocking in any way, shape, or form, but Leo hadn't expected his father to be quite so harsh. Leo guessed that his father's crossness was a residual effect of losing Miwa.

"That's what I said," Raph chimed in smugly, taking the opportunity to irritate the shell out of Leo. Raph knew that it must have been killing Leo inside to hear Master Splinter almost say the exact thing that he had, making Raph seem like the golden boy for once in his life. Raph was half-tempted to give Master Splinter a fist bump for making Leo look bad, but he was afraid Master Splinter would misinterpret the motion as an act of aggression and take him down. _That_ would be humiliating. Raph instead opted to bump his fist into Leo's shoulder, giving his big brother a demeaning little nudge.

Leo flashed Raph a death glare, and then, he softened his expression before turning towards his father.

"But, Sensei, I tried to stop Donnie. He wouldn't listen to me!" Leo explained, on the verge of whining, which was more befitting of Mikey than the oldest turtle.

Leo's comment struck several nerves, and soon, every turtle in the room was on edge. Raphael was the first to react verbally.

"Why _should_ he listen to you? You basically told him he was lazy and that he wasn't working hard enough!" Raph growled, pointing a stubby finger in Leo's face. It was a gesture that Leo didn't take kindly to and he was struggling to refrain from breaking Raph's finger, something that would surely be frowned upon by their father.

Master Splinter's voice distracted Leo's attention from Raph for a moment.

"Leonardo, is this true?" Master Splinter asked in a lowered voice, and, this time, it was easy to read his emotions. Leonardo could see that his father was visibly disappointed by what he had just heard, which only made Leo feel that much worse.

"Not exactly," Leonardo mumbled under his breath, hoping that what he had said would somehow be loud enough for Master Splinter to hear, but muffled enough so that less-perceptive Raph wouldn't understand it.

Unfortunately, Raph had heard it and understood it perfectly, but so had Mikey. The youngest brother was not at all thrilled with what he had heard. This time, Mikey was first to pipe up.

"Not exactly? Dude! You told him that he needed to work harder on that cure for Karai after he'd been working on it nonstop for like weeks! Not cool, bro! Not cool! You know how hard D works on everything and you know how he takes stuff to heart!" Mikey howled, finally snapping out of the sluggish stupor he had been in since being so rudely awakened in the middle of the night by his two bickering oldest brothers. Up until a few seconds ago, Mikey had been like the walking dead. His brain had still been fast asleep as he stood there, vacantly staring at his brothers. He had been unable to find his 'get-up-and-go' button until Leo tried to deny the mean things that he had said to Donnie to initiate their argument. That lie was akin to a quintuple shot of pure caffeine injected into Mikey's system and the youngest turtle suddenly felt wide awake. Not only that, but he was also feeling surprisingly aggravated, which was a side of Mikey that was not seen very often. Mikey had always been the most easygoing and carefree of the four brothers, so it took a whole lot of effort to rile his even-temper, but obviously, it could be done, as Leo had just effectively demonstrated.

Having always been the closest to Donnie, Mikey had felt obligated to enter the fray and stand up for his currently missing older brother. Mikey, like Raph, had been blaming Leo for starting the whole argument, but he didn't have the guts to come right out and say it until just now. He had kept his mouth shut about what had transpired long enough.

Not wanting to play the role of the lone bad guy, Leo was quick to put Mikey's neck on the chopping block as well.

"Yeah . . . and you told him that his best sucked. How do you think _that_ made him feel?" Leo snidely pointed out, his words taking on a taunting quality. After he had made the petty remarks to Mikey, Leo felt somewhat childish for resorting to what was essentially the verbal equivalent of sticking out one's tongue. Leo may have just as well tagged 'neener, neener' at the end of his last sentence.

 _Real mature, Leo. Way to lead by example_ . . . Leo mentally reprimanded himself for his unbecoming actions.

Mikey's round, freckled face went from irate to depressed in less than a split-second when his memory was jogged of how he, too, had mistreated Donnie.

"Oh man . . . I – I was only kidding around. I didn't mean it . . . I swear. You know I would never ever do anything to hurt Donnie on purpose," Mikey said with so much wretchedness saturating his voice, Leo thought his youngest brother was going to cry. That just made Leo feel even worse for bringing up what Mikey had said. It had been a low blow on Leo's part to use that against Mikey. After all, Leo knew how vulnerable his baby brother could be. He also knew that Mikey adored Donnie and that Mikey had not intentionally meant to upset his brainy big brother with what he had said. Seeing Mikey now visibly distraught over being accused of hurting Donnie made Leo kick himself. Leo wished he could take it back, but not as much as he wished he could take back everything that he had said to Donnie. He had not meant it.

"I know you wouldn't hurt Donnie on purpose, Mikey . . . but neither would I. I only said what I did because I didn't want him to give up on trying, Mikey," Leo said, softening his voice to his most reassuring tone so as to make Mikey feel better. It was a tone that Leonardo used with his two youngest brothers, but never used with Raph. That was partly because Leo knew that Mikey and Donnie were far more sensitive than Raph, and, partly because the second oldest turtle was a short-tempered jerk and a major pain in the shell that wouldn't hesitate to make fun of Leo for that tone.

Raph's response that followed only served to corroborate Leo's thoughts. "So you accused him of not trying hard enough? All he's been doing these past few weeks is trying, Leo! It seems like you care more about Karai than you do about Donnie!" Raph yelled, unable to control his anger any longer. He was about to boil over, but then, so was Leo.

"That's not true!" Leo snorted sullenly, feeling the fumes of irrepressible anger start to rise from within as Raph continued to provoke him.

"Tell that to Donnie! You've been treating him more like a servant than your brother!" Raph raged, gnashing his teeth together and cracking his knuckles, dangerously close to going berserk.

"Oh, _you_ should talk! You're always treating him that way!" Leo grunted, which all but pushed Raph off the deep end.

The two oldest brothers were about to exchange blows when their father's patience had reached its limit.

"Damare!" Master Splinter hollered, causing his sons to nearly jump out of their shells. All three brothers tensed and turned towards their father, lowering their heads in a show of respect and to hide their humiliation.

"Do I need to remind the three of you that Donatello is still missing? Your brother could be in grave danger and yet you chose to stand here and argue! I may have lost my precious Miwa tonight . . . " Master Splinter choked on the words for a moment before continuing with what he had to say. "I do not intend to lose another child on account of this selfish behavior!" Master Splinter scolded in disbelief and his distress was not lost on his sons. They knew his heart was broken.

Leonardo could feel his father's scrutinizing eyes upon him, boring into him like a red-hot coals. The oldest turtle shook his head, frustrated with himself for allowing his emotions to consume him once again. Master Splinter had told him time and time again that an effective leader must strive to keep a clear head at all times. They must not let their ability to make sound decisions be clouded by one's emotions, but here Leo was, letting his feelings command him. As the leader, Leo knew that it was crucial for him to keep his focus and keep his temper reined in at all times, but, sometimes, that was no easy task. Especially when you lived under the same roof as Raph. More often than not, Raph made it nearly impossible to maintain a level head. It was in Raph's nature to keep pushing and pushing Leo's buttons, trying to make Leo see red, both figuratively and literally. However, it wasn't in Donnie's nature at all. Donnie rarely pushed Leo, but yet Leo had lost his temper with his genius brother. Leo had hurt Donnie, all because he had let his feelings for Karai affect his judgment. Leo had taken his frustrations out on the brother that had been working his shell off to help Karai. The brother who deserved it the least. The brother who would take the criticism the hardest. Leo had screwed up, big time.

"I'm sorry, Sensei. This is all my fault. I shouldn't have let Donnie leave the lair alone when he was still so upset about what I had said to him. I should have stopped him or gone after him, but I let my emotions get in the way of doing the right thing . . . and that's protecting Donnie. I apologize for my actions," Leo said, looking to his father for forgiveness.

"I do not believe it is me that you owe an apology to, Leonardo," Master Splinter noted with a knowing glance.

"You're right, Sensei. We've got to get Donnie back," Leo said with newfound determination. The wheels in his head were already spinning as he began to formulate a plan. Leo knew he had to factor in the fact that Donnie had not taken his T-phone with him in his haste to leave. That was going to make locating him more challenging, but not impossible.

"Okay, here's the plan. Mikey, you head to April's place to see if Donnie decided to stop by there. Master Splinter, you stay here, just in case he comes home. Raph – " Leo hesitated before continuing with his instructions " – you're with me. We'll take the Shellraiser and try to locate the Stealth Bike." The last turtle Leo wanted to be stuck with right now was Raph, but he had no choice. Leo didn't trust Mikey to drive the Shellraiser, and, with Donnie gone, Leo and Raph were the only ones who had a shot at figuring out how to utilize the tracking device on the Stealth Bike. As much as he hated to admit it, Leo needed Raph's help. Leo had to swallow his pride, knowing that finding Donnie was the top priority now.

Leo gave a solemn nod to his father, and then, handed him Donnie's T-phone. "We'll call if we find him," Leo stated soberly. With that said, Leo turned and headed for the garage where the Shellraiser was parked. Raph followed right behind Leo without so much as a word, also setting their rivalry aside for the sake of finding their missing brother.

* * *

 _ **To be continued . . .**_


	3. Chapter 3 - Sticks and Bones

_***Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.**_

 _ ***Author's Notes: Here's chapter 3! Donnie's night is about to get a lot worse . . .**_

 _ **Once again, thank you to everyone who has provided me with so much support and feedback for 'You're Needed Here Now, Donnie' and for 'A Shell of Himself.' I am extremely grateful for your reviews and to those of you who have 'favorited' and followed me and my stories thus far. It is much-appreciated. I really hope you like this new chapter. If you do . . . please let me know.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 3 – Sticks and Bones**

It seemed as though lately, if not for bad luck, Donnie wouldn't have any luck at all. This night was certainly no exception to his unlucky streak. The night had gone from bad (the failed Brain Worm serum), to worse (the fight with his brothers), to even worse (getting captured), to shocking (three words: 'The Brain Boggler'), and now, to pretty much horrendous (being hunted by Chris Bradford aka 'Dogpound' aka 'Rahzar').

"Lucky indeed," Donnie breathed out, barely audible, not even sure if his enemy had heard it.

The malevolent smirk on Rahzar's face grew wider and somehow even toothier than before, indicating that he had heard it loud and clear.

 _Of course he heard it, dummy! He's a mutant dog with enhanced senses! One of them being a heightened sense of hearing! You, of all turtles, should know that!_ Donnie berated himself for managing to somehow space out the first time Bradford had captured he and Mikey in that defunct futon factory on Fifth.

 _How could I forget that abysmal disaster?_

While Donnie stood there continuing to curse his bad luck, Bradford seemed quite thrilled with how his own lucky stars were aligning. That must have been why he couldn't wipe the smirk off of his face.

Donnie's delicate stomach condition downgraded from queasy to downright revolting when he noticed Rahzar's gleaming white teeth reflecting in what little light was shining into the alley.

 _My, what a sparkling smile. I wonder if he flosses daily. You know . . . to get the hunks of meat out of his teeth,_ Donnie thought grimly _._

"You know, it's an added bonus that the turtle that shows up all alone is the smart one . . . The one I have been told is capable of making retro mutagen . . . Mine for the taking. Yes, it must be my lucky night," Rahzar said, dragging his knifelike claws along the front plate of the Stealth Bike, which produced a 'fingernails on a chalkboard' type of sound that made Donnie cringe.

Normally, Donnie would have fired off some sort of a snappy comeback, but when he gazed up at the grotesque face of the skeletal monstrosity before him, Donnie's sense of humor ceased right up. He was not firing on all cylinders, that much was for sure. The direness of the situation had Donnie drawing a complete blank and not one sarcastic comment came to mind. What did come to mind was the disturbing thought that if Rahzar didn't kill him, Raph certainly would for what the atrocious mutant had just done to the finish of the Stealth Cycle.

"Your night, however, is about to take a very, very painful turn for the worse . . . "

 _No great shocker there,_ Donnie thought dryly.

" . . . Apparently, you didn't learn your lesson earlier. I guess I'm just going to have to beat some more sense into you," The giant mutant snarled, stopping just a couple of feet short of where Donnie was standing. The mutant dog held his claws out at his sides, readying to pounce on his prey.

Something about Bradford's threat to inflict physical violence upon him inexplicably struck Donatello as comical. Donnie couldn't explain it. Maybe it was a combination of the shock and the fear. Maybe it was the exhaustion. Maybe it was the fever talking. Or . . . maybe Donnie had finally just gone off the deep end. Whatever it was, Donnie's wits came back to him with full force and out slipped the snappy comeback he couldn't come up with only moments before.

"Actually, I'm an exceptionally faster learner. I don't believe another lesson will be necessary. Besides, it's awfully late. I'm sure you must be dog-tired," Donnie inappropriately quipped with a nervous little chuckle. The growl that rolled in Rahzar's throat told Donnie that the return of his sense of humor was not welcome.

Donnie swallowed thickly when it occurred to him that he had just made the already bleak situation even worse with his ill-timed pun. He hadn't bothered to consider the consequences of making a canine joke until now.

Bradford once again growled in discontent, glaring down at the turtle that was supposedly the most intelligent of the four. The impudent comment had definitely teed off the double-mutated beast. It was bad enough he had to deal with that imbecilic walking fish, Xever Montes, and that overgrown cat, Tiger Claw, constantly making bad mutt jokes. Now, he had to hear it from one of the wretched turtles. Instead of seeing green in front of him, Bradford now saw red. Bradford had planned on pounding the scrawny turtle into submission before, but now, he would show the conceited little reptile no mercy.

"And you must want your shell cracked," Bradford rasped and his fiery eyes constricted into angry slivers that were trying to burn holes through the turtle.

Without even realizing he was doing so, Donnie took a couple of clumsy steps backwards, trying to protect his shell from being broken into multiple pieces by the significantly bigger mutant.

"Uh, no . . . I don't actually. I, uh, was sort of hoping that maybe we could be reasonable about this, seeing as how it's almost morning and all. What do you say we just call it a night and go our separate ways?" Donnie suggested, trying to keep the peace. As Donnie had proposed his treaty, he tried to gather as much confidence as possible, but his wavering voice reflected the uncertainty he was feeling inside. Even though he was a trained ninja, Donnie was never very keen on resorting to violence and he generally tried to avoid it, if at all possible. Especially when faced with a fight he knew he could not win. Unfortunately for Donnie, Bradford still had an 'I'm going to slowly and laboriously break every bone in your body as I bludgeon you within an inch of your life' look on his hideous face, telling Donnie that Bradford was not interested in the turtle's earnest recommendation for a diplomatic solution.

Bradford apparently had his heart set on hammering Donnie into the ground.

"Oh, I don't think so, turtle. You're coming with me. Only, when I'm done with the agonizing lesson I'm about to teach you, I'm afraid you won't be able to walk to where we're going. But don't worry. I promise I won't leave you here to bleed to death. I'll drag your sorry shell with me when I decide it's time to leave," Rahzar snarled, following with a depraved snicker.

Donnie felt his breath hitch in his chest, knowing that he had idiotically neglected to bring his T-phone along with him when he had left the lair, thus, eliminating the possibility of his brothers tracking him via the GPS function built into the phone. Theoretically, there was a slight chance that his brothers could figure out how to activate the tracking device on the Stealth Cycle, but that wouldn't do Donnie any good if he wasn't anywhere near the vicinity of the bike. If Bradford captured him and hauled him off to some enclosed building who knows where, Donnie knew the chances of his brothers finding him decreased exponentially.

It became increasingly clear that Donnie needed to figure out a way to get out of this situation, pronto, or his bad night was never going to end.

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Donnie howled, suddenly showing far more resolve than he had before. Desperate times called for desperate turtles . . .

"Like you're going to stop me. I saw your pathetic attempt to escape in the warehouse, remember? And I know that you're the weakest fighter of your clan . . . "

 _Oh, come on! How does everyone and their dog – pun intended – know that I'm the worst fighter? What? Did someone run an ad in the paper or on the radio stating that I'm the weakest link or something?_

Rahzar continued talking as Donnie mentally stomped his feet.

" . . . Without your brothers here to protect you, you don't stand a chance," Rahzar arrogantly guaranteed.

"So what? You think I'm just going to willingly let you haul me off to Shredder's lair?" Donnie seethed, pretending to be speaking just out of spite, but there was a calculated and underlying purpose to what Donnie had just asked. It was actually a rather loose form of reverse psychology that Donnie was sure Bradford and that pebble-sized brain of his would fall for. What Donnie had asked was a premeditated ploy to get Bradford to disclose where he was planning on taking him in the event that things didn't go so well here and Donnie wound up getting captured . . . _again_.

It wasn't that Donnie didn't have a lot of faith in his ability to defeat Bradford. It was that Donnie had _no_ faith whatsoever in his ability to defeat Bradford.

"Oh, we're not going to Master Shredder's lair. At least . . . not tonight. I haven't decided what to do with you just yet, so, for the time being, we're going to stay somewhere you should be quite familiar with. You remember the place where I nearly choked the life out of you for the first time?" Rahzar said in his grating voice, following with what could only be described as an evil cackle.

It made Donnie shudder in dread.

"How could I forget?" Donnie groaned, not nearly as fond of that particular memory as Bradford seemed to be. Donnie's throat hurt just thinking about it. Well, truth be told, Donnie's throat hurt well before Bradford had brought up that painful memory, but, for some reason, it made Donnie feel somewhat better to blame his misery on Bradford.

"That was back when I was human. When I had it all going for me: success, fame, money . . . I had the world at my feet, but then, everything changed when you and your pathetic brothers turned me into . . . into this! A hideous freak!" Rahzar snarled, gesturing towards himself. He then fixed his heated amber eyes back on Donnie. "But now, you're going to make it up to me, aren't you?" Rahzar grunted, pointing a long, boney claw at Donatello.

"H – how am I going to do that?" Donnie stuttered out, almost breathless. He was afraid that he already knew the answer to the question, but he asked it nevertheless.

"You're going to make me human again," Bradford hissed with a twisted grin.

Donnie felt his entire body go rigid, knowing that what Bradford had just proposed wasn't even a remote possibility. Not without access to his lab and his research . . . and not without April's DNA. There was no way Donnie was going to put April in danger just to save his own shell.

"What? N – no! I – I can't! I can't just turn you back! It doesn't work like that! I mean, it's not that simple! I don't have the – " Donnie howled in that somewhat shrill voice that he used when he was beyond stressed out, but before he could finish what he was trying to explain, the turtle was coarsely cutoff.

"You can and you will, if you know what's good for you, turtle! I assure you, I can make this experience much, _much_ more unpleasant for you," Rahzar pledged and he pounded one hand into the boney palm of his other hand, the way that Raphael did when he was trying to intimidate someone. The tactic worked like a charm, just like when Raph did it. Donnie was shaking in his shell as Rahzar continued. "Now then . . . I think it's high time you got started. What do you say we get going?" Rahzar asked in his low, rattly voice, and, a second later, he lunged forward at the genius turtle, claws first.

Despite the suddenness of the attack and being slightly distracted by his illness and rampant thoughts, Donnie's reaction time was astonishingly fast. Like a nimble matador, Donnie was able to dodge the charging mutant, easily jumping off to the side and repositioning himself in anticipation of a counter-offensive.

Sure enough, as soon as Bradford skidded to a stop, he turned to attack the turtle again. This time, Donnie unconsciously let out a high-pitched 'hoo-wah' sound as he deftly twirled his bo-staff a few rotations over his head before sending one end of the weapon crashing into Rahzar's skull as the bigger mutant came at him again. Donnie managed to deliver a solid blow to the spot right between Rahzar's eyes and the four small spikes projecting off the top of the ghastly mutant's head.

Dazed by the crack to the cranium, Rahzar staggered backwards a few steps and slapped his boney hand over his head. Donnie stared up at Rahzar and he could not fathom how the oversized creature didn't injure himself on a regular basis with all of the razor-sharp projectiles sticking out of him. Donnie had oftentimes wondered the same of Shredder and his armor. Then, it occurred to Donnie that that probably wasn't something he should have been wasting time concerning himself with at the moment.

 _Focus, Donnie!_

Gathering up his senses, Donnie sprinted behind the back of the Stealth Bike, ducking down so that he was mostly out of Rahzar's sight. Donnie kept his fingers crossed that Rahzar was out of it enough that he would not realize that the genius turtle was, in fact, using the precious few seconds of Rahzar's stupor to attempt to leave his brothers a message in the layer of dirt that had settled on top of the bike. Thankfully, Raph hadn't bothered with cleaning the bike anytime recently.

 _Figures . . ._

Again, Donnie had to remind himself to focus. Time was of the essence here. A ridiculous number of thoughts raced through Donnie's mind as he crouched down behind the bike. For starters, if Donnie took more than a couple of nanoseconds scribing something on the bike, it could arouse Rahzar's suspicion and that would guarantee that his brothers would never get his message. Donnie knew that he had to keep his message as short as possible – three to four letters or symbols at most. The size of the note was of equal importance. Donnie had to keep his message small enough that Rahzar wouldn't notice it if he happened to pass by it, but large enough that his brothers would. Then, there was the question of what to write in the dust. He didn't have time to write out a full name nor the location Bradford had said he was taking him. He just had to hope that his brothers could decipher what he came up with during these split-seconds.

 _Of course, this is all pointless if it rains . . ._

There were so many factors to consider, but not enough time to contemplate them. Donnie peered up over the bike and saw Bradford already pulling his claws away from his head.

 _Aw, sewer apples!_

In a bit of a panic, Donnie reached forward and used a shaky finger to scrawl his message into the dirt. While he did so, he kept one eye on Rahzar, watching the mutant's movements. Rahzar regained his orientation much faster than Donnie had anticipated, leaving Donnie with only enough time to draw a couple of letters and a symbol. Then, he had to bolt away from the bike, so as not to draw attention to what he had just done . . . and to avoid being skewered by Rahzar's incoming claws.

Running around the Stealth Bike, Donnie made a mad dash for the graffiti covered buildings to his left. Donnie figured his only chance at getting away from Rahzar would be to scale up a fire escape and take to the rooftops. He and his brothers went out on rooftop patrol practically every night, so Donnie felt confident that he would have a tactical advantage over his enemy once on the roofs. He highly doubted that Bradford spent as much time as he did hanging out on top of buildings. He also didn't think that the giant, much-heavier mutated dog would be as agile as he was when leaping from building to building. Of course, this was all theoretical and stemmed from a wee bit of wishful thinking on Donnie's part.

Slipping his bo-staff into its holster, Donnie made a running leap and almost effortlessly grabbed hold of the lowest level of the fire escape, intending to pull himself up the currently retracted vertical drop-down ladder. Unfortunately, just as Donnie was starting to grasp the ladder, Rahzar seized one of Donnie's ankles and yanked the turtle down to the ground. Donnie landed hard on his carapace on the pavement below, which knocked the wind right out of him. Before Donnie had a chance to recover from the fall, Rahzar wrapped his long claws securely around his neck, closing off the turtle's airway. Hoisting Donnie up as though he weighed next to nothing, Rahzar roughly slammed Donatello into the wall of the very same building that Donnie had been trying to scramble up only moments before. The force of the impact against the building was so severe, it caused Donnie's bones to rattle and his already aching head to spin. A wave of nausea washed over Donnie with the force of a tsunami. He would have thrown up right there and then if not for his windpipe still being crushed underneath Rahzar's unremitting grip which acted as a dam against the bile that tried to rise up in Donnie's throat. Little did Rahzar know that his chokehold had just saved him from being puked on.

 _Ugh! Can't a turtle get a break?_ Donnie thought bitterly as his fingers attempted to pry himself free from Rahzar's grasp, but then, Donnie realized that when a bloodthirsty beast has your neck enclosed in its powerful claws, the last thing on earth one should be wishing for is a 'break.'

 _Strike that thought . . ._

The ruthless mutant canine pressed Donnie firmly against the wall by his throat, not allowing the turtle to take in precious air. Raising his arm, Rahzar lifted the now helpless turtle up so that his feet were dangling several inches off of the ground. Donnie tried with all of his might to kick and punch his attacker. Anything to break free of Rahzar's clutches, but Donnie's strength to fight back was fading right along with his ability to stay conscious. Rahzar grinned fiendishly as Donnie's eyes started to roll back in his head from the lack of oxygen as well as from the side-effects of being smashed into the wall.

"Just like old times, huh, turtle?" Rahzar asked in a chilling voice, continuing to squeeze his claws around Donnie's throat, showing no signs that he was going to let up anytime soon. He appeared to be enjoying watching Donnie frantically gasp for breath. "Your brothers can't save you this time."

The world around Donnie started to turn gray and fuzzy as his body started to go numb from being deprived of oxygen for too long. Donnie went limp in Bradford's grasp, unable to stay conscious a moment longer.

The last thing Donnie remembered before blacking out was the sound of Rahzar laughing.

* * *

"Take a right . . . HERE!" Came too short of a notice from over Leo's shoulder.

Applying the brakes liberally enough that the tires made awful screeching sounds and undoubtedly left thick, black skid marks on the road, Leo somehow managed to make the corner without totaling the Shellraiser. Leo was not even sure if all four of the tires of the vehicle had actually remained on the ground while taking the high-speed turn. Such evasive maneuvers couldn't being doing the suspension of the souped-up old subway car any favors, but everything still seemed be intact and fully functional. This came as a relief, because if they would have wrecked the Shellraiser, there was no doubt in Leo's mind that Donnie would have killed them.

"Nice driving, Slick. Good thing you fight better than you drive," Raph said in that deadpan way of his.

"If you think you could do better, Raph, then, by all means . . . be my guest. _Or_ . . . how about next time we have to turn, you try giving me a little more heads up?" Leo groaned from the driver's seat, tightening his grip on the steering wheel in an attempt to hold his temper. He wasn't sure who was in a worse mood at this point . . . himself or Raph. Leo just wanted to find Donnie and go home so he could crawl into his nice, warm bed and sleep for twenty-four hours straight. Maybe longer . . . The more time he spent away from Raph, the better.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Fearless. Excuse me for not providing you with a full two-week notice," Raph snarled, his every word dripping with sarcasm. "You know, it's not that easy manning the navigation and ops stations at the same time, but if you think you could do better . . . " Raph fired back.

Leonardo rolled his eyes skyward, thinking the non-verbal gesture was a better alternative than wasting energy arguing with pigheaded Raphael.

"How much further is it?" Leo asked, deliberately removing the irritation from his voice as he tried to shift the conversation into a new direction. One that Raph would hopefully find a little less antagonistic. Of course, that wasn't all that simple of a task. Raph could take literally anything the wrong way and he had the uncanny ability to turn even the most innocent of comments into a quarrel. It was one of Raph's most annoying qualities.

Thankfully – and perhaps miraculously – Raph did not seem to take offense to Leo's question.

"The GPS tracker says that the bike should be down the alley just up ahead. It's on the left side," Raph said, leaning away from the navigation screen so he could glance at Leo.

Sure enough, the Stealth Bike soon came into view, parked just inside the entrance of the next dead end alley to the left. Leonardo pulled the Shellraiser to a halt just beside the bike. Raph didn't even bother waiting for the vehicle to come to a complete stop before opening the side door and jumping out. It was something Raph never would have done had safety-conscious Donatello been around. Donnie would have given Raph an ear slit full for not following proper vehicle safety protocol.

Leo climbed out of the Shellraiser with a bit more caution than Raph, but he, too, was moving faster than normal, motivated by an elevating sense of stress. Donnie had left the lair around thirty minutes ago. That should have been plenty of time to get to the Stealth Bike and head home.

A nervous feeling immediately began to constrict Leo's chest when he did not see his missing brother.

By the time Leo got out of the Shellraiser, Raph was already roaming around the alley, searching every nook and crate for signs that his brainy brother had been there, but he found none. He then noticed that there was an unlocked garage door at the end of the alley and quickly surmised that it must have been the location where Donnie had been abducted earlier in the night. Raph remembered Donnie mentioning that he had followed someone that he had assumed was April through an open garage door just before he was captured.

The thought of Donnie being captured made Raph's insides feel as though they were being wrenched in knots. He couldn't help but recognize the eerie similarities between what had happened earlier in the evening and what was happening now. What if history was repeating itself? Raph had been trying to push that morbid thought out of his mind ever since Leo had told him that Donnie was gone, but Raph had a whole body full of aches and pains that made it pretty much impossible not to think about what had happened the last time Donnie had run off on his own.

 _Ah, Donnie! What'd you go and leave the lair for? You're supposed to be the smart one . . ._

In an effort to avoid losing his temper, Raph concentrated all of his attention back on the garage door in front of him. He easily hoisted the door up, nearly heaving the door off its tracks in the process. Without any hesitation, Raph entered the building, weapons drawn.

Though Raph had his weapons at ready, Leo still felt that his impulsive brother was taking a much more careless approach than Leo approved of. Raph hadn't even bothered to check if Leo was following behind him. He just waltzed right into the building. In Leo's mind, Raph should have been taking far more precautions than what he just had. Especially knowing what had happened to all of them not all that long ago. They could have been walking straight into another trap, but Raph didn't seem to care.

 _Typical Raph . . . leaping before looking. Wouldn't want to waste any brain cells thinking something through for once_ , Leo thought disdainfully.

Leo unsheathed his katanas and closely trailed Raph, not about to let his younger brother march into a dark building alone just like Donnie had made the mistake of doing. If they repeated that mistake, Master Splinter would never let them live that one down. They'd be doing Randori rounds for a month of Sundays.

It didn't take long for the two turtles to explore the premises since there wasn't much for square footage inside, nor was there a whole lot of items left in the interior of the building to rummage through. To their growing dismay, their search revealed nothing. Just like the alley, there was no sign of Donnie inside of the building. The place was totally abandoned.

Raph let out a guttural 'Argh' at no one in particular, just yelling for the sake of yelling, which was not uncommon for the hothead to do. Raph's roar echoed throughout the empty space they were in and the reverberating sound bouncing back at them took on an almost haunting quality.

A maddening fusion of anger, paranoia, and worry swelled deep inside of Raph with each passing minute they failed to find Donnie. A now frazzled Raph sprinted out of the building to search the alley again.

"Donnie! Donnie!" Raph barked once he was out in the fresh air again.

When Leo stepped out into the alley again, the first thing he noticed – or rather heard – was Raph taking it upon himself to alert everyone within a four-mile radius of their presence.

 _Real subtle, Raph. So much for stealth_ , Leo mentally groaned, thinking of the many times Master Splinter had stressed the importance of a ninja being able to move in silence. Raph must not have been paying attention to those particular lessons.

"Raph! It's the middle of the night! People are trying to sleep!" Leo hissed at his younger brother through his clenched teeth, trying keep his voice down so as not to be a hypocrite. Leonardo was just as frazzled as Raph, but he was not quite as vocal about it.

The instant he heard Leonardo's admonishing words, Raph whipped around to face Leo and immediately gave his oldest brother a death glare that would have made a lesser turtle cower in fear. The look informed Leo that Raph's reply was not going to bode well for him. Leo just hoped that what ensued would be a verbal assault, not a physical one. Leo so did not feel up to a late night/early morning sparring session with his overly aggressive brother.

"Did you seriously just chew me out for being more concerned about our missing brother than about waking a few humans up a little earlier than usual? What is wrong with you?" Raph snarled, tightening his grips around the hilts of his sais. All of the sudden, Raph had a major itch to kick Leo's shell halfway to Jersey and back.

"Raph, I'm just as concerned about Donnie as you are," Leo growled in response, his voice exhibiting the indignation he was feeling inside. Then, Leo contradicted himself by lowering his katanas to his sides in a gesture of goodwill. It was a strategic move on Leo's part so as not to tempt combative and clearly aggravated Raph into what would no doubt be a violent confrontation.

"Well, you sure haven't been acting like it lately!" Raph snorted, turning his mouth down into a grumpy frown as he pointed a sai towards Leo. In this case, pointing his weapon at his older brother wasn't actually done as an act of aggression like one would assume from the temperamental turtle. Raph had just done it to stress his point.

"Would you stop insinuating that I don't care about Donnie already? Contrary to what you seem to think, I care about our brother just as much as you do. I assure you that I would do absolutely anything for Donnie. For your information, I'm worried sick about him and all I want to do right now is get him back home, safe and sound. Not that I need to justify myself to you," Leo said in a snippy tone, not at all pleased with being accused of not caring about his second youngest brother when nothing could be further from the truth. Why Raph would think anything like that was beyond Leo's comprehension. Leo loved Donnie just as much as he loved the rest of his family and it ticked Leo off that Raph was trying to suggest otherwise. Leo would give his life to protect Donnie.

 _Donnie knows that. He knows how important he is to me,_ Leo assured himself, but a flame of self-doubt started to burn in the back of his mind. Had he given Donnie a reason to think otherwise? Had he been pushing Donnie more than he should have the past few weeks? Surely, Donnie knew that Leo was only doing so because of the seriousness of the circumstances and the obvious impact the outcome of Donnie's work had on their family . . . Especially Master Splinter. Donnie knew that.

 _Of course Donnie knew that! He's a genius!_

Again, Leo realized that he was trying to reassure himself that everything with Donnie was just fine. Leo was sure that his most intuitive little brother recognized that he was only trying to provide a vital sense of direction and motivation when he had pushed Donnie to try harder on making that serum for Karai. After all, as the team leader, it was Leo's responsibility to inspire and push his brothers above and beyond their expectations of themselves. Refusing to let Donnie just give up on his work didn't mean that Leo didn't care about him. His pushing Donnie meant that he _did_ care. He cared about Donnie being successful. Leo reminded himself that he had done nothing wrong. Raph was just planting ideas in Leo's head with his ridiculous allegations. All Raph's notions were doing were making Leo paranoid.

 _Donnie understands why I've been pushing him. He realizes how important finding that cure was._

Then, without warning, Leo was plagued by his guilty conscience and a deluge of memories. He could still see the look on Donnie's face both times his younger brother had left the lair that night. The first time, Leo could see the anger written across Donnie's face after he had told him to try harder, but, then again, Leo could also see the hurt reflecting in his brother's eyes. That same hurt look later manifested itself in Donnie's eyes just before he left the lair for the second time that night, only, the second time Donnie had walked out, it was not done so out of anger. It was done out of sadness and despair. Leo all at once remembered the moment oh-so vividly, like it had happened just an instant ago. The look on Donnie's crestfallen face the second time he left the lair was nothing short of heartbreaking and there was no mistaking that something or someone had hurt Donnie deep down inside. Leo's gut started to twist with anxiety.

 _Donnie knows that I care about him. . . Doesn't he?_

Raph's response pulled Leo out of his troubled thoughts. The bizarre thing was, Raph spoke as though he had tapped directly into Leo's thoughts.

"Donnie's the one you should be saying all that stuff to . . . not me. He needs to hear it from you," Raph recommended in a manner that sounded uncharacteristically considerate, helpful, and . . . almost sweet? It was way past weird hearing rough and tough Raph provide any kind of advice that wasn't loud, condescending and impolite. Most of the time, Raph's idea of offering helpful advice was to tell someone to "shut up" or to point out that they were wrong, boring, annoying, stupid, ugly, and/or out of their shell.

In all honesty, Leo would have felt a lot better if Raph would have just stuck to his usual rude self thing rather than this new nice guy act. It just made Leo feel even more like a heel for what he had done to Donnie. Leo's guilt was quickly starting to consume him. Not only had he hurt Donnie with his insensitivity and single-mindedness, but he had willingly let Donnie leave the lair knowing that the genius turtle was not feeling well and was clearly exhausted beyond his limits. Now, Donnie was missing and it was all Leo's fault. Leo should have never let him leave the lair alone. How could he have been so blind to his own brother's suffering?

"I will tell him once we find him. I will make it up to him, I promise," Leo vowed in a solemn voice that seemed slightly over the top to Raph. The pledge was about as corny as one could get and the cheesiness of it was further proof that Leo watched entirely too much 'Space Heroes' reruns. What Leo saw in that mindless show, Raph had never understood . . .

The conviction currently pouring off of Leo was almost too much for Raph to stand. He had to bite his tongue in order to keep himself from making another belittling comment. Raph didn't have the stamina to get into another fight with Leo right now. He needed to focus on locating Donnie.

"Okay . . . so where the shell is he?" Raph asked, trying to quickly change the subject while he glanced around the alley for about the twentieth time since their arrival. He kept hoping that Donnie would just all of the sudden materialize out of nowhere so that they could finally call it a night. Raph was running on less than fumes at this point and he just wanted to find his genius brother so he could get home and sleep this whole awful night off.

"I wish I knew," Leo groaned, also examining the alley for anything that they may have missed. There was nothing to suggest that Donnie had been there. Maybe Donnie had lied about going out to get the Stealth Bike. Leo wondered if perhaps Donnie had only said he was doing so because it was the only rational reason he could come up with for having to leave the lair at such a late hour. Then, Leo thought better of his presumption about Donnie making something up. Donnie had never ever been one to lie. Not even when he was little. Sure, Donnie had always been the most reticent of the brothers and he had a habit of keeping things from them – bottling them up inside for none to see – but when he did choose to share things with them, he had always been honest. Granted, he wasn't brutally and painfully honest like Raph was, but he was honest nevertheless. Leo had always trusted Donnie's word more than any of his brothers'.

 _Besides, exaggerating the truth was more of a Mikey thing anyway . . ._

"Maybe he stopped at one of the junkyards before coming here. You know how Donnie loses track of the time when he's rummaging through mountains of scrap piles. Let's load the Stealth Bike onto the Shellraiser and go check out his favorite dump sites," Leo said, walking towards the back of the Shellraiser so they could mount the bike on the rear of the subway car.

It was then that Leo noticed something unusual.

"Raph, take a look at this!" Leo ordered, crouching down into a kneeling position just behind the bike.

Normally, Raph would have been irritated by Leo telling him what to do, but, due to the extenuating circumstances, Raph was willing to overlook it this one time. He approached the back of the Stealth Bike without a single complaint or grumbling sound.

The two of them stared down at something that had been written in the dust on the back of the bike.

"Is that Donnie's writing?" Raph asked, bending over the back of the bike to take a closer look.

Leo's only response came in the form of silence. He was busy studying the message.

"What the heck is that supposed to mean? I mean, I get the 'RZ' part, but what is that thing supposed to be?" Raph asked, pointing to the unknown symbol to the right of the letters 'RZ.' There was a weird, three-quarter ovalish shape with something jutting down from the bottom of it. It kind of looked like an oblong, misshapen pie with a piece or two missing and a trapezoid-like tail hanging down. "Is that a sock puppet or something? Or maybe it's Pac-Man on a stick," Raph thought out loud.

"Why would Donnie draw Pac-Man on a stick?" Leo asked in a snarky tone.

"How should I know? I don't understand half the stuff Donnie says or does any other time. Why should this time be any different? Maybe it means he went to an arcade," Raph said, shrugging his shoulders as if to say that was the best he could come up with.

Leo pressed his lips into a thin line and gave Raph a stern look before responding.

"Again, why would Donnie draw Pac-Man on a stick?" Leo muttered, doing his best to keep his rising anger under control.

"Beats me. I always thought Donnie hated Pac-Man. You know, for someone who prides himself on his artistic abilities, that's a really crappy Pac-Man drawing," Raph grunted, almost sounding disgusted with the low-quality of the sketch.

Leo hardly thought it was the time to be passing judgment on Donnie's drawing prowess.

"That's because it isn't Pac-Man!" Leo snapped, wisely opting not to tag 'you stupid jerk' at the end of his sentence like he so wanted to.

"Okay, Fearless. What do you think it is?" Raph asked with his usual attitude problem coming through, patience clearly wearing thin.

"I'm not exactly sure . . . but I know it's not Pac-Man!" Leo declared, rather tersely. He then softened his tone significantly as he continued. "If this is from Donnie, I'm guessing that meant he didn't have a lot of time to leave us this message," Leo said and that thought made worry settle into his stomach like the heaviest of stones. If it was Donnie that had left the message for them – and Leo was almost certain it was – it meant that their little brother was in danger. If Donnie wasn't in danger, he definitely wouldn't have left such a vague clue behind.

"What are you trying to get at?" Raph asked, not liking were Leo was going with this line of conversation.

"I think Donnie's in trouble," Leo said, rising into a standing position. It was then that he noticed the front of the Stealth Bike and he couldn't stop a telltale grimace from forming. How could he not have noticed it before?

Raph saw the worried expression that had passed over Leo's features and the red-clad turtle was quick to shift into a more upright position. Raph followed Leo's line of sight to what looked like deep gouges in the finish of the front of the bike.

"Please tell me those aren't scratches in the paint," Raph said, hoping his tired eyes were deceiving him.

"I'd say they're more like gashes. I think we can safely assume what 'RZ' stands for," Leo said with the grimace still etched on his face as he studied the four grooves made on the Stealth Bike.

"Rahzar," Raph growled in animosity, fury blazing in his green eyes. As to be expected, he could barely contain his temper. His grip around his sais grew so tight, he could have sworn that he had bent them in his bare hands. Needless to say, Raph's mood had gone from bad to worse. "That flea bag needs a serious beat down! Look what he did to the finish of my bike!"

"Yeah, _that's_ why he needs a beat down! Because he scratched your bike! Not because he possibly captured or hurt our brother!" Leo howled, obviously offended by what Raph had just said. No less than five minutes ago, Raph had accused Leo of not caring about Donnie, and yet, there Raph was, showing more distress over a few scuff marks on his bike than over his missing little brother who they now knew may have been taken by a ruthless enemy who had tried to kill them time and time again.

Apparently, neither Leo nor Raph were going to win the prestigious award for brother of the year.

"Believe me, if that creep so much as laid a claw on Donnie . . . " Raph left the sentence hanging, knowing that his sanctimonious older brother would not approve of how it would have ended.

Both overwhelmed by a feeling of dread at the thought that Rahzar had their brother, the two eldest turtles stood there in silence for several long minutes until Leo's T-phone blared out, nearly causing he and Raph to jump out of their shells. Leo reached for his phone and saw that it was an incoming call from Mikey, which instantly made him cringe. How were they going to tell Mikey?

"Hey, Mikey," Leo said in a voice that was void of any strength. It was as though the wind had been sucked right out of Leo and the burdensome weight of what he and Raph had just discovered was settling onto Leo's chest, making it difficult to breathe.

Not always the most observant of the four brothers, Mikey failed to notice anything unusual about Leo's tone.

"Yo, Leo! What's up? Did you find him yet, bro?" Mikey asked, inadvertently verifying that Donnie had not turned up at April's, dashing the one last bit of hope that Leo was still clinging to that Donnie wasn't with Rahzar.

"Not exactly. We found the Stealth Cycle, but not Donnie," Leo moaned, staring down at the message that had been jotted on the back of the bike for them to see.

That image Donnie had left behind was tearing Leo apart from the inside out. It seemed so simple, but yet Leo had no idea what it could possibly be. What was Donnie was trying to tell him?

That odd symbol could very well be the key to finding Donnie and every moment wasted could place Donnie in further danger, but, for the life of him, Leo could not crack his brainy brother's secret code. Donnie was counting on Leo to translate his message, and, for what felt like the umpteenth time that night, Leo was failing Donnie yet again.

Then, it occurred to Leo that maybe Mikey could bring a fresh perspective to the table. Out of all of the brothers, Mikey was the one who thought outside of the box more often than inside of it. In addition to his creative personality, Mikey knew Donnie the best. The two youngest brothers shared the closest bond of the four turtles, so it was possible that Mikey could offer some much-needed insight on the message. Leo quickly snapped a picture of the illustration Donnie had drawn and forwarded it to Mikey.

"Mikey, I'm sending you a picture. Take a look at it and let me know what you think it means," Leo said, desperation coming through in his tone. Leo could see Raph looking at him skeptically, as if to question why he would bother asking Mikey, but Leo didn't care at this point. Yes, Mikey was a bit of a space cadet most of the time and his problem solving skills left a lot to be desired, but Leo was grasping at straws here. If there was even a slight chance Mikey might provide some fresh ideas, Leo had to give it a shot.

Of course, there was a very good chance that Mikey, the biggest gamer of the brothers, would say it looked Pac-Man on a stick, and then, Raph would never let Leo hear the end of it. The last thing Leo needed was to give Raph 'I told you so' rights and bolster his immediate younger brother's already tremendous ego.

"Got it, bro," Mikey chirped out, and then, took a moment to hem and haw over it. As Mikey studied the picture, Leo could hear his baby brother making various humming and grunting sounds into the phone, indicating that Mikey was lost somewhere in his head.

"Dude, who wrote this? It doesn't make any sense," Mikey asked, unintentionally overstating the obvious to Leo.

"I know. That's the problem," Leo groaned, somehow feeling even more useless than before, if that was even possible at this point. If Mikey didn't understand the message, either, then . . .

"I mean, Radical Zone doesn't even serve Chinese food," Mikey said candidly, as if what he had said was common knowledge to anyone and everyone.

This pulled Leo out of his funk. "Wait! What?" Leo asked, completely baffled by what Mikey had said. While it was not an uncommon occurrence for Mikey to spew forth non sequitur statements that made little to no sense, Leo had more of a vested interest in this particular illogical statement than usual, so he needed Mikey to clarify it for him. "Radical Zone?"

Next to Leo, Raph was craning his neck, straining to hear what Mikey was saying on the other end of the phone.

"Yeah! 'RZ' is what they call Radical Zone for short. It's that new indoor amusement park that opened a couple of months ago. But I'm totally sure they just serve pizza, not Chinese," Mikey said, pointing out Chinese food again. Either Mikey was hungry and had food on the brain, or maybe – just maybe – he was onto something.

"Why do you keep talking about Chinese food, Mikey?" Leo asked, suddenly showing far more interest in the conversation. Leo was still not catching onto Mikey's drift. It was a well-known fact that Mikey's thought process was a difficult path to follow. Mikey's mind worked in mysterious ways that none of them could explain or understand.

"Because that picture you sent me has a fortune cookie drawn on it," Mikey said as if the answer was so evident, it should have slapped Leo in the face. There was an unspoken 'duh' in Mikey's tone that made Leo's eyes roll upward.

"A fortune cookie? Why would Donnie draw a fortune cookie?" Leo said more to Raph than to Mikey, but it was Mikey who answered.

"Beats me . . . Wait! Donnie wrote this? Dude! Donnie went to Radical Zone without me? Why would he do that? He knows I'm the fun one!" Mikey whined incredulously, oblivious to the seriousness of the situation, as usual.

"'RZ' doesn't stand for Radical Zone, Mikey. It stands for Rahzar," Leo said drearily.

"Rahzar? Why the heck would Donnie go for Chinese with Rahzar?" Mikey asked with a twinge of jealousy coming out. Mikey was a little slow on the uptake, still missing several pieces of the puzzle that Leo and Raph had just put together.

"He didn't. Rahzar's got Donnie, Mikey. Donnie's trying to tell us where he took him," Leo said and he winced when he heard Mikey gasp into his T-phone. Leo was sure this night couldn't possibly get any worse . . .

* * *

 _ **To be continued . . .**_


	4. Chapter 4 - The Ex-Factory

_***Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.**_

 _ ***Author's Note: Chapter 4 is here and Donnie is in**_ _ **big**_ _ **trouble! As always, thank you for all of your kind reviews and to those of you who have 'favorited' and followed me and my stories. It means a lot to me. If you like my story . . . please let me know.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 4 – The Ex-Factory**

Donnie's closed eyelids felt like they were weighted down by dozens of lead sinkers and his weary eyes flat-out refused to do what he wanted them to. After several failed attempts at prying his heavy eyelids apart, he temporarily gave up on that endeavor so that he could instead focus what little energy he had on lifting his arms up in hopes of clamping his hands around his aching head to dull the throbbing. He thought his head had hurt before, but it now felt as though someone was relentlessly drumming on his skull with a pair of tonfa.

The problem was Donnie's eyes weren't the only parts of his body that were refusing to cooperate. His arms didn't seem to want to respond to his simple commands, either. He soon discovered that his arms' lack of compliance wasn't due to physical exhaustion like his eyes had been. As he made another feeble attempt to lift his arms, he could feel that his wrists were pinned behind him somehow and every attempt to move them caused him a great deal of pain. It almost felt like he was . . .

 _Tied up . . ._

This revelation caused Donnie's formerly defiant eyes to suddenly shoot wide open with a start. After a moment or two of blinking the blurriness away from his eyesight, he squinted to further focus his vision and to adjust to the scant lighting of his surroundings. He found himself lying plastron down on a concrete floor, and, just as he had suspected, his arms appeared to be bound behind him. He couldn't exactly see them from his current position, but he could feel the unremitting ropes that were wrapped far too tightly around his wrists rubbing the skin raw. He attempted to wriggle free from the ties that bound him, but it didn't take long for him to figure out that his knees and ankles were bound together as well. That would explain the numbness and tingling in his lower legs. Here he had thought that they were just still sleeping.

 _This is not good_ , Donnie thought grimly.

With a great deal of discomfort and effort, he managed to lift up his head, but only for a few seconds. That was all the time he needed to assess where he was. Laying his head back down against the cold, harsh concrete beneath him, he clumsily flailed about until he succeeded in flopping and twisting himself up onto his side. This gave him a better vantage point to evaluate his situation.

Unfortunately, it also alerted his captor that he was conscious.

"Well, well . . . Look who's finally awake," Came a crusty, snarly voice that made Donnie shudder in his shell.

Filled with indescribable dread, Donnie nervously peered up from his somewhat prone position on the floor to see that Rahzar was seated only a few feet away from him on a small wooden chair that looked as though it was barely able to support the mutant dog's weight.

Shifting his gaze down to the floor, Donnie could only lie there as Rahzar stood up and started to approach him. With his arms and legs tied, Donnie was basically defenseless.

Rahzar stood over Donnie and leered at him in what was obviously an intimidation tactic. This went on for what was possibly the longest minute in history . . . or, at least it seemed like it was to Donnie. Rahzar then bent down and roughly rolled Donnie onto his shell. Once Donnie was lying on his carapace, Rahzar slammed his big, boney foot down into the center of Donnie's plastron, which caused Donnie to make an "oomph" sound. Donnie then started gasping for the air that had been stomped out of him. Amused by the turtle's reaction, Rahzar leaned over the now panting turtle so he could get a closer view of the terrapin's suffering.

Donnie cringed at the sight of Rahzar now hovering directly above him and the frightened turtle tried his best to stifle a snivel of fear that was dead set on escaping the confines of his throat. He just stared blankly up at the revolting beast looming over him, not knowing what else to do. It was then that Donnie's sometimes easily distracted and always overactive mind was sidetracked by something he saw behind Rahzar's skeletal figure. Donnie's eyes roamed up to the yellowed window panes of the building and the cogs in his head started spinning. Through a cracked sheet of glass, Donnie could see that it was still dark outside, which meant one of two things. It either meant that he hadn't been out cold for very long and it was still the same horrible night, or, it meant that he had been passed out for longer than he had thought and it was the next evening.

Donnie's analytical brain first began to sift through the vast excess of knowledge that he already possessed prior to this ordeal. His brain then took that information and processed it with the new details that his attentive eyes had gathered from his current surroundings. After evaluating his findings, he promptly concluded that he had been unconscious for no more than an hour. He based his theory on numerous factors, including the local weather forecast (the long-term forecast had called for an eighty-five percent or better chance of rain the next few days, but he could see the moonlight shining through the window), the fact that he still had some feeling in his securely tethered limbs (indicating that he still had some circulation to his fingers and toes which he most likely would not have had if he had been hogtied like he was for more than a few hours), and, of course, there was the knowledge that Chris Bradford would never have had the perseverance to sit and wait a full day without trying to shake or beat Donnie into consciousness at some point (patience was most definitely not one of Bradford's strong suits).

If it was indeed the same night that Donnie last remembered being lucid, it meant that there was still a chance that his brothers would find the message he had left for them and they would come to his rescue . . . eventually. Provided they understood what he had written. He just hoped that his assumption that it was the same night was correct, because if it was the next day – or several days later – that meant that his brothers hadn't seen his message and that meant they didn't have a clue where to find him.

Of course, either way, the bottom line was that Donnie was in a whole lot of trouble right now and his brothers were nowhere to be seen. If they didn't get here soon . . .

"So what are you going to do with me, Bradford?" Donnie asked with way more audacity than he had expected to come out of his mouth considering his current predicament. After all, he was supposed to be the quiet and timid turtle, not the brash and disrespectful one (aka Raphael). Donnie had certainly not planned on coming off as so insolent. It just sort of slipped out.

Rahzar's peculiarly heart-shaped nostrils flared with intense anger.

"You will address me as master from now on," Rahzar raucously snarled, moving his face closer to Donnie's and baring his teeth so that the pinned down turtle could get a nice, close-up view of his ferocious pearly whites.

 _The mutant dog wants me to call him 'master?' No doubt that stems from some sort of canine superiority complex,_ Donnie quickly surmised, trying his best to stay calm and somehow ignore the long, pointy fangs now hanging unnervingly close to his face.

"Listen, I know what you want me to do, but I already told you, I can't just change you back. That's not how it works. I can't just whip up a batch of retro mutagen, even if I wanted to," Donnie tried to reason with Bradford, but he could see that his words were falling on deaf ears, despite Bradford's keen sense of hearing.

"I don't care whether you want to or not. You will fix me if you want to live!" Rahzar demanded, poking a hard, osseous finger into Donnie's plastron.

The humor in the mutant dog saying 'fix me' did not escape Donnie, but the turtle chose to keep his laughter to himself. Especially since that mutant dog had followed the words 'fix me' with the ill-omened words 'if you want to live.' That sort of put things all into perspective, letting Donnie know that one flippant remark could easily spell disaster for him. He had to choose his words carefully or suffer the wrath of Rahzar.

"Please, try to understand! If it were that simple, do you think that my master would still be a giant rat?" Donnie shrieked, keeping his fingers crossed that Bradford would follow his logic.

No such luck.

Instead, Rahzar's eyes blazed over with anger as he reached his huge hand down and forcefully wrapped his left-hand claws all the way around Donnie's torso and shell, hoisting the helpless turtle up so that his bound legs were suspended more than a foot above the ground.

"I told you, _I_ am your master now! And if you want to keep all of your limbs in working order, I suggest you cooperate and start on that retro mutagen! Make me human again, turtle, and I just might let you live . . . with most of your body parts still attached!" Rahzar roared, brutally shaking Donnie as though he was a floppy ragdoll. This made Donnie's already pulsating head thump even harder inside of his skull and he unwittingly let a small, sputtered whimper sneak out.

Rahzar laughed at Donnie's pain, but, on the bright side, he stopped trying to shake the poor turtle out of his shell. Rahzar pulled the turtle's recoiling figure closer to him so that their faces were only inches apart. Donnie's eyes crossed at the nearness of Rahzar's teeth and he could feel the mutant dog's moist, disgusting, hot breath against his skin. Whether it was on account of the horror of the situation, the hard blow to his head in the alley, the all-encompassing exhaustion, and/or the unknown illness growing inside of him, Donnie was not sure, but something was making him increasingly dizzy and it seemed like it was a challenge just to keep his eyes in focus. Donnie batted his heavy eyelids in an attempt to clear his cloudy vision. That was when he saw Rahzar lift his free hand up and suddenly swing it downward towards him.

Certain that Rahzar was about to slice him open like a fish, Donnie sealed his eyes tightly shut and braced himself for the incoming pain, but it did not come. Instead, Donnie felt the binds around his knees and ankles fall away from his legs, apparently cut loose by Rahzar's razor-sharp claws. Shocked beyond words, Donatello opened his eyes and stared down at his newly freed limbs that were mostly unscathed. Sure, there was some bruising from being shackled and zapped earlier in the evening and some noticeable ligature marks from being tied up too tight, but Rahzar had somehow cut right through the ropes without slashing through any of his flesh. There was no question that the feat was quite impressive. As Donnie gaped down at the now-severed ropes lying on the floor beneath him, he felt overwhelmed by a strange mixture of admiration, appreciation, and even a bit of terror over his enemy's astonishingly accurate aim.

Lifting his head slowly, Donatello peered up at Rahzar and narrowed his eyes in confusion, not quite sure why the bigger mutant had removed the ropes.

"You can't very well get to work on turning me human with your legs tied, can you?" Bradford noted, seeing the perplexed look on the turtle's face.

Donnie shook his head to indicate 'no,' and he soon found himself wishing that he hadn't. The movement only reminded him that his head was killing him.

Then, without warning, Rahzar tightened his already rigid grip around the turtle and Donnie's thoughts were conveniently diverted away from his headache. Much to his chagrin, he was experiencing an entirely different feeling of discomfort as Rahzar squeezed him hard enough to leave additional bruises.

"But let me remind you, turtle, I will not hesitate to kill you if you decide to try anything stupid. If you so much as look at me the wrong way, there will be excruciating consequences," Bradford rasped with an evil grin and there was pure malice burning his every word like acid.

 _Well, that makes a whole lot of sense. You need me to make you human again, but then, you turn around and tell me you won't hesitate to kill me . . . Wouldn't that essentially be like shooting yourself in the foot?_ Donnie thought sardonically _._

"If you want me to help you, I'm not going to be able to do much of anything with my hands tied behind my back," Donnie pointed out, futilely squirming in Rahzar's iron grip to emphasize his point.

Upon hearing the turtle's request, Rahzar tapered his scary eyes into nothing more than infuriated slits.

"Oh, _now_ you want to help me! Do you think I'm some kind of idiot? You're just trying to get me to set you free so you can try to get away!" Rahzar growled, starting to shake Donnie once again.

 _Enough with the shaking already_ , Donatello mentally groaned as his head started to pound once more. He now knew what a maraca felt like.

"Now, now . . . Let's be sensible about this, Bradford. I had no intention of tricking you! If I tried to get away . . . well, that would only make me an idiot, too," Donnie said in what was supposed to be an attempt to appease his adversary and perhaps save his shell, but he had succeeded in doing just the opposite. Even though rumor had it that Donnie was the smartest of the turtles, he had just managed to forget all about Bradford's whole 'address me as master' thing, _and_ , as if that wasn't dooming enough, he had just made the grave mistake of verifying that he thought Bradford was an idiot. Donnie's eyes widened to the size of saucers when it dawned on him what he had just said.

' _That would make me an idiot, too?' Really? Why the shell would you go and say a fool thing like that? You may just as well have told him, 'Yes, Bradford, I do think you're some kind of idiot. Now, please be gentle when you tear me limb from limb,'_ Donnie condemned himself as he nervously looked straight ahead and saw just how livid Rahzar was.

"Heh, heh, heh . . . " Donnie let out an almost imperceptible little chuckle that faded into nothingness by end of the third 'heh.'

"Why you little . . . " Bradford seethed, squeezing Donnie so hard, he could hardly breathe in the crushing grip he was enclosed in. A painful wheezing sound emitted from the now compressed turtle who just dangled there in Bradford's unrelenting hold. It hurt . . . a lot. So much so, Donnie found himself clinging to his last vestiges of consciousness.

"I think it's time for one of those excruciating consequences that I warned you about," Bradford rasped, and then, he curled his free hand into what Donnie could only assume was meant to be a fist. It was difficult to tell for sure with those gangly, boney fingers of Bradford's. However, when Bradford drew his balled up right-hand claws backwards, it became painfully clear to Donnie that it was indeed intended to be a fist and that fist was about to strike him right in the face.

As Rahzar's closed fist came swinging forward at him, Donnie had no possible means of getting out of the way or defending himself. For the second time in the past five minutes, the only thing Donnie could do was close his eyes and brace himself for the impending blow.

* * *

Though not as proficient at picking locks as his genius brother was, Leonardo had developed somewhat of a knack for breaking and entering from the numerous times he had previously had to fill in whenever Donnie wasn't around to do it. Leo was currently attempting to work his unlawful entry magic on the rear entrance of the abandoned factory that used to manufacture the product known as Killer Fortune Cookies.

This was not the turtles' first visit to the deserted fortune cookie factory, nor was this the turtles' first time breaking in through the back door of the building. Although, this _was_ Leo's first time doing so. The last time they had broken in from the rear of the property, Donnie had been the criminal mastermind behind getting them inside of the building and things had gone much, much more efficiently when the genius had been overseeing the operation. It was taking Leo so long, he was surprised that impatient Raph hadn't shoved him aside and done his usual bust the lock open with his sais method. It wasn't uncommon practice for Raph to carelessly stab random objects with his weapon(s) when things weren't going fast enough for his liking. This violent tendency was a personal pet peeve of Donnie's, because he was the turtle who usually had to repair the damage done by Raph's carelessness.

As Leo fumbled with the lock he was feebly attempting to open, he started to think about their history with the building. Their previous visits to the derelict factory included special guest appearances by the Purple Dragons, Xever Montes (aka Fishface), Chris Bradford (aka Rahzar aka Dogpound), Baxter Stockman's Mousers, and, most recently, some evil, ancient Chinese sorcerer that went by the name of 'Ho Chan.'

"So . . . are you planning on opening that door anytime soon, or am I going to have to kick it in? Not that I don't enjoy watching you make a fool out of yourself, because I _do_ . . . I just don't feel like standing out here all week," Raph growled, confirming to Leo that Raph was beyond his tolerance level.

Leo was about to grumble something unpleasant in retort when he heard the familiar click that he had been waiting for, and, just like that, they were in. Leo's angry reply was instantly forgotten.

Without further ado, the two oldest turtles switched into ninja stealth mode, silently slipping in through the now-open back entrance and commencing their covert search of the building.

It didn't take long for them to locate their missing brother. They heard his voice from the opposite side of the factory, pleading with Rahzar.

" _Listen, I know what you want me to do, but I already told you, I can't just change you back. That's not how it works. I can't just whip up a batch of retro mutagen, even if I wanted to."_

"There he is," Raph hissed as quietly as he could, given his rage. Raph couldn't see Donnie all that well from their current position, but he had no problem seeing Rahzar standing on the loft area in the front of the building. The elevated space was suspended just above the three conveyor lines that stretched out nearly the entire expanse of the warehouse's lower level where Raph and Leo were standing.

From his viewpoint, Raph could see that Rahzar was towering over his brother with his foot pinning Donnie down to the floor. The sight both infuriated and panicked Raph. He couldn't see if his little brother was injured or not, but he could hear the fear in Donnie's voice and it made Raph want to scream. Then, he heard the giant mutant dog threaten his genius brother and he nearly went ballistic.

" _I don't care whether you want to or not. You will fix me if you want to live!"_

Driven by sheer, unadulterated hatred for Rahzar, Raph was about to sprint towards the mutant looming over Donnie when Leo caught the red-banded turtle firmly by the back of the arm. Leo tugged Raph backwards behind the cover of a stack of boxes that were filled with what could only be assumed were extremely stale fortune cookies.

If looks could kill, Leo would have keeled over dead, right there and then, and the obituary would have read 'he died of Raphael causes.'

"What the heck, Leo?" Raph mouthed irately, trying to wrench his arm free from Leo's hold.

Even though Raph had always been the strongest brother, Leo's staunch grip did not falter.

"We can't just go charging up there, Raph. He might hurt Donnie," Leo said, keeping his voice below even a whisper, knowing that it was critical for them to remain undetected until he could come up with some sort of plan to rescue Donnie. The challenge was that it was always difficult to remain undetected with Rahzar in the picture due to his heightened senses. That was why Leo was whispering as low as possible and that was why he wasn't allowing Raph to take another step further. Leo needed to assure that they kept out of earshot and make sure that they stayed far enough away so that Rahzar wouldn't pick up on their scent.

They heard Donnie's shaky voice again and the two eldest turtles peered around the boxes concealing them from Rahzar's sight. They could hear the desperation in their brother's tone as he attempted to reason with the psychotic mutant.

" _Please, try to understand! If it were that simple, do you think that my master would still be a giant rat?"_

Leo and Raph watched in horror as Rahzar wrapped his nasty claws around Donnie's body and raised their little brother up in the air, shaking him violently. They could see that Donatello's arms and legs were tied and that there was nothing he could do to protect himself. The atrocious sight rendered them temporarily paralyzed with a sense of dread that was beyond words.

" _I told you, I am your master now! And if you want to keep all of your limbs in working order, I suggest you cooperate and start on that retro mutagen! Make me human again, turtle, and I just might let you live . . . with most of your body parts still attached!"_

Then, Rahzar lifted his free set of razor-sharp claws in the air, and, before petrified Raph and Leo could even register a reaction, Rahzar slashed his arm downwards at Donnie. A scream caught in Leo and Raph's throats and both of their hearts nearly jumped out of their chests as they powerlessly watched Rahzar swing his claws towards Donnie. Thankfully, it appeared as though Rahzar had just cut the ropes, not Donnie. From what they could see, Donnie looked to be okay. For now . . .

Feeling Raph's muscles tense in his grip, Leo did not let up on Raph's arm in the slightest, afraid that a hasty attack would put Donnie at additional risk. In this type of situation, one wrong move could set Rahzar off and result in Donnie getting seriously hurt. Leo was still waiting for a better opportunity to present itself, but having just witnessed Rahzar swipe his deadly claws towards his bound little brother made it almost impossible to wait, not to mention almost impossible to breathe. Leo could see and hear that Raph was in even worse shape over what had just transpired than he was. Leo didn't know how much longer he could hold Raph back. Leo wasn't even sure how he was holding himself back at this point, knowing that instead of cutting the ropes just seconds ago, Rahzar could have easily killed Donnie and neither Leo or Raph would have been able to do a thing to stop it.

" _You can't very well get to work on turning me human with your legs tied, can you? But let me remind you, turtle, I will not hesitate to kill you if you decide to try anything stupid. If you so much as look at me the wrong way, there will be excruciating consequences."_

Raph's jaw tightened and his hands balled into tight fists as he listened to Rahzar terrorizing his younger brother. Raph wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. How could Leo expect him to just hang back and listen to Rahzar threaten to kill their peaceful brother? Out of the four turtles, Donnie was by far and away the most gentle and mild-mannered, and, even though he was a trained ninja like the rest of his brothers, he was passive by nature and he avoided violence if at all possible. That was why it was so difficult for Raph to do nothing while that coldhearted creep tormented and scared the shell out of his nonaggressive little brother.

"What are we waiting for, Leo? We have to get Donnie away from that monster," Raph breathed out and it was obvious to Leo that Raph was struggling to keep his self-control in check. Leo could see how badly Raph wanted to protect Donnie, but Leo needed to make Raph understand that he wanted the same thing. The two of them just had differing opinions on what was the best way to go about protecting their little brother at this moment. Raph wanted to throw caution to the wind and launch a full-frontal attack while Leo wanted to think things through and figure out a way to prevent Donnie from becoming collateral damage.

"I know, Raph, but we can't make our move while he's so close to Donnie. We'd be putting Donnie in danger," Leo whispered under his breath.

"He's already in danger," Raph irritably puffed out and looked daggers at his older brother, frustrated with the leader's hands-off strategy.

" _If you want me to help you, I'm not going to be able to do much of anything with my hands tied behind my back."_

" _Oh, now you want to help me! Do you think I'm some kind of idiot? You're just trying to get me to set you free so you can try to get away!"_

Hearing the fury building in the mutant dog's voice, Leo and Raph turned their attention from one another back towards Rahzar to see that he was once again shaking Donnie in his claws. Only this time, it looked as though the larger mutant was trying to literally shake Donnie right out his shell.

" _Now, now . . . Let's be sensible about this, Bradford. I had no intention of tricking you! If I tried to get away . . . well, that would only make me an idiot, too."_

Leonardo and Raphael's jaws dropped in astonishment, both equally stunned that their bashful, genius brother had just had the guts to call Rahzar an idiot right to his face. While Raph appreciated a good insult as much as anyone else, even _he_ knew that Donnie had not picked an opportune time to go offending the practically rabid dog who was shaking him like he was a snow globe. It was just plain reckless, and Raph would know, since he was the expert when it came to reckless behavior. As Raph anxiously watched Donnie tick off Rahzar, he found that he had gained a newfound understanding of how his brothers felt when he let his foul mouth run wild in the heat of the moment. Raph almost felt guilty for having subjected them to the same anxiety all of these years. _Almost_ . . .

" _Heh, heh, heh . . . "_

" _Why you little . . . "_

Things were definitely spiraling out of control faster than Leo could have anticipated and the normally level-headed turtle felt a wave of panic wash over him, unable to process things clearly amidst the chaos unfolding before his very eyes. There was no question that Donnie had just pushed Rahzar past the limits of his patience and it appeared as though the bigger mutant was now trying to crack Donnie's shell open with his bare claws. What made matters even worse was hearing Donnie start to emanate an awful wheezing sound that indicated he was in a great deal of pain. At a complete loss as to what to do, Leo went into a state of shock. It was almost as if he was temporarily froze solid with dread as he gazed up at his second youngest brother who could barely hold his head up anymore.

It was at that point, when Leonardo was feeling as though he was at his weakest, Raph's adrenaline began to rapidly pump through him at unprecedented levels and the volatile turtle soon felt as though he was at his strongest. Raph's chest started to heave and his body went rigid in Leo's grip.

Raph was an atomic bomb about to detonate and heaven help anyone who got in his path.

" _I think it's time for one of those excruciating consequences that I warned you about."_

With that said, Rahzar pulled his arm back and the two oldest turtles could see that the larger mutant was going to strike their unarmed brother.

That was it. That was the straw that broke the turtle's back. The proverbial pin in Raph's grenade had just been pulled and he exploded with white-hot rage.

"That's it! I'm not going to stand here and watch him beat our little brother senseless!"

"Raph – " Leo muttered, but Raph was now an unstoppable force.

With raw, brute strength coursing through him, Raph tore himself away from Leo's clutches and made a crazed bolt for the front of the factory, moving at breakneck speed.

"Let my brother go, you overgrown Chihuahua!" Raph roared as he rushed towards the steps that led up to platform where Rahzar was holding Donnie prisoner.

Upon hearing Raph's demand, Rahzar dropped his fist down to his side so he could turn and look at the approaching turtle. Raph's sais were out and ready to run the mutant dog through.

"Raph!" Donnie shrieked, having never been so relieved to see his hotheaded brother in all of his life.

Raph was about to start his ascent up the stairs when he heard Donnie let out a strangled cry of pain that caused Raph's blood to run cold. Raph looked up at his little brother only to see that Rahzar had wrapped his free claws around Donnie's neck, bending Donnie's head back uncomfortably.

"Take one more step and I'll snap your precious brother's neck just like it's that stupid stick he calls a weapon!" Rahzar yelled at Raph, holding Donnie up higher to make sure the red-clad turtle could see how easily he could make good on his threat.

This was not the first time Raph had seen Rahzar seize Donnie by throat, but that didn't make the sight any less disturbing. Struck by a horrible sense of déjà vu, Raph stopped his forward momentum altogether, not willing to risk his brother's life by calling Rahzar's bluff.

"Get your claws off of him, Bradford!" Came Leo's most commanding tone as he came up beside Raph, briefly garnering him Bradford's exclusive attention, but soon, Bradford's tawny eyes were anxiously volleying back and forth between the two oldest turtles. It was obvious that Bradford suffered from serious trust issues.

When Leo had heard Rahzar's warning that he was going to hurt Donnie if Raph kept moving, the eldest turtle had also stopped in his tracks, figuring the same warning would apply to him as well. Leo had made it just as far as Raph, halting his approach just short of the bottom step of the set of stairs next to where Raph was stationed at. Leo kept his steely, sapphire-colored eyes fixed on Rahzar, watching the misshapen dog's every movement with the utmost scrutiny. Leo had one of his katanas extended out in front of him, pointing towards Rahzar to show the mutant dog he meant business. Leo's other sword was held off to his side, opposite of Raph, ready for a quick strike if necessary. Although Leo may have looked and sounded the part of the confident leader, what he was feeling on the inside was quite the contrary. His current strategy didn't go beyond making sure that he and Raph had the flight of stairs covered so that Rahzar had no means of escape and so that they could head him off at the top of the loft area once Donnie was out of harm's way. The vital missing element of Leo's mediocre at best plan was how to get Donnie out of harm's way. Hence, the reason Leo wasn't feeling all that sure of himself.

"Leo!" Donnie hoarsely cried out, suddenly overcome with emotion upon seeing that his oldest brother had also arrived and was closing in on where he was being held captive. Regardless of all of the hurtful things that had been said and done between the brothers that evening, Leo was still a sight for Donnie's sore and fatigued eyes. Here, Donnie had been convinced that his oldest brother didn't care about him anymore and that he had thought he was nothing but a useless failure, but yet there Leo was, once again coming to rescue Donnie's sorry shell. Good old Leo was as true blue as the mask he donned.

Seeing Leonardo gave Donnie a glimmer of hope that everything was going to be okay, and somehow, just Leo being there made Donnie feel safer. _Well, a little bit safer. Okay, not really._ Actually, safe was probably not the best word to describe what Donnie was feeling inside at this exact moment. Panicked would have been a far more accurate term to depict his current mind-set. Or perhaps . . . terrified. Especially since Rahzar's claws were still tightly encircled around his neck . . . again.

 _Unsettling trend . . . This might be even worse than when Leatherhead used to grab me by the face like my head was one of those stress balls. Why me?_ Donnie thought scornfully _._

Still, in spite of everything that had occurred to lead up to this very moment, and, in spite of just how much danger Donnie was currently in – which was a lot – the genius turtle took solace in his oldest brother's presence, just as he always had whenever he was feeling scared, lost or alone. Ever since Donnie could remember, Leo had always been there for him when he was in peril, slaying Donnie's demons, so to speak. That was why Donnie had long looked up to his oldest brother as that superlative heroic figure that everyone wished they could be like, and, that was why he had always idolized his oldest brother and sought to impress him, no matter what. It was also the reason why Leo's unkind words earlier in the evening had more or less broken Donnie's heart into thousands of tiny pieces. To hear Leo say those things had hurt . . . a lot. But, as heartbroken as Donnie felt inside, right now, all he really wanted was for his big brother to comfort him and protect him from Rahzar. As embarrassing as it was, the reality remained that Donnie was scared and in big trouble and he needed Leonardo to defend him and look after him once again. He needed his big brother. Even if Leo thought he was weak and nothing but a disappointment. Even if Leo didn't need or want him around anymore because all he ever did was screw everything up. Donnie needed Leo, more than Leo would ever know.

 _I wish I wasn't always letting you down, Leo. I wish I was a better brother . . ._

Unbeknownst to Donatello, he wasn't the only turtle being plagued by thoughts along that line.

"Are you okay, Donnie?" Leo asked, pulling Donnie out of the gloom filling his head. Donnie peered down at Leo to the best of his abilities. Rahzar's grip wasn't allowing him much freedom of movement from the neck up.

"I've been better," Donnie moaned in a faint voice that was subdued by the claws pressing against his windpipe.

"Donnie, this is all my fault. I shouldn't have let you leave the lair earlier," Leo started on an apology of sorts, earning a looks of disbelief from the other three individuals in the factory.

"Um, Leo . . . Not the best time," Donnie rasped, telling someone that their timing was not ideal for the second time that night. The first time he had said it, it had been to the fake April, or, more accurately, it had been said to Karai. She had been using the voice replicating microphone that Baxter Stockman had invented for her, making her sound just like April in order to entice Donnie into her deadly trap. Karai and Stockman had somehow managed to hack into the turtles' T-phone signals and Karai had called Donnie's phone right in the middle of the brothers' heated argument back at the lair, incidentally diverting Donatello away from the disagreement. Hence, the reason that Donnie had pointed out to April/Karai that it was not a good time. Blowing off what Donatello had said, Karai had gone ahead with her deception, pretending to be April with the intent of using the purple-banded turtle's weakness for the O'Neil girl to lure him away from his brothers. She had successfully and intentionally detained the smartest turtle first, knowing he would have been the one most likely to figure out her plan and potentially foil it.

Now, that very same turtle was detained again. Only this time, it wasn't Karai holding the cards. It was a merciless mutant dog holding his neck. As if on cue, that very same merciless mutant dog tightened his grip around Donnie's throat and Donnie made a sickening choking sound that hurt his brothers to listen to. They could see Donnie's body starting to droop in Rahzar's grasp due to the minimal oxygen he was being allowed to take in.

"Let him go, you ugly fleabag!" Raph hollered, instinctively taking a few steps forward, but he stopped when Rahzar turned his eyes towards him. Raph's own piercing eyes never left Rahzar's gruesome form. Not even to see Leonardo's reaction to what he had just said, which Raph assumed would be a dirty look.

It was.

"Oh, I'll let him go, all right," Rahzar growled as he effortlessly tossed Donnie up in the air and seized him by one of his ankles so that he could dangle the genius turtle over the edge of the loft. "Come any closer and I'll drop him. How do you think your brother will fare if he lands on his head? Do you think he'd still be the smartest one?"

While Donnie welcomed the reprieve on his neck, he realized that his predicament hadn't improved all that much in hindsight. Sure, he was no longer being strangled to death, but that didn't mean that he was able to breathe easily again. For all intents and purposes, he had just gone out of the frying pan into the fire.

Both Raph and Leo froze in fear, seeing their brother hanging over what was more than a fifteen foot drop. Although it was not uncommon for the four turtles to jump, be thrown, or even fall from such heights without injury or a second thought, this was an entirely different situation. Donnie's arms were tied behind him. He would have no way to safely break his fall if Bradford were to drop him from that elevation.

"Whoa . . . Let's just think this through. We're going to stay right where we're at. Please . . . just don't hurt Donnie," Leonardo said, shifting gears and getting into his negotiator mode.

"Throw down your weapons or I'll throw down your brother," Rahzar ordered, jiggling Donnie in front of him as though the turtle was a set of keys. Donnie couldn't summon up the courage to repress a small whimper as he stared nervously at the concrete floor below him. From his current view, the floor seemed much further away than it had mere seconds before. Though not normally afraid of heights, Donnie felt a sudden onset of acrophobia kicking in, no doubt brought on by the rather disconcerting angle he was being draped at. If Rahzar dropped him, Donnie's best hope was that he would land on his shell, rather than on his head.

 _Oh, now there's a real comforting thought . . . Best case scenario here is a broken shell or back. Kind of makes a turtle feel all warm and fuzzy inside,_ Donnie thought bleakly, getting lost in his distress once again until the clang of two katana blades hitting the floor shifted his focus onto Leo.

Upon hearing Rahzar's demand, Leo had cast his weapons aside without question, not about to take a chance on Rahzar dropping Donnie. Leo knew there was no way he could get to Donnie in time to catch him.

On the other hand, upon hearing Rahzar's demand, Raph had adhered to his sais as though they were an extension of his arms, acting as if it was physically impossible for him to heed the command. Raph squared his shoulders and narrowed his gaze at Rahzar. Leo immediately recognized the nonverbal gesture for what it was.

Raph was about to do something stupid.

Really, _really_ stupid.

* * *

 _ **To be continued . . .**_


	5. Chapter 5 - Breaking Don

_***Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.**_

 _ ***Author's Note: Here is chapter 5 of 'You're Needed Here Now, Donnie' and things are going to get pretty intense.**_ _ **This was originally a much longer chapter, but I couldn't resist stopping at such a great cliffhanger ending. So, I may post the second part of the chapter later this week . . . if you guys are okay with that . . . ;)**_ _ **As always, I would like to thank everyone for their reviews and for 'favoriting' and following me and my stories. I really appreciate it. If you are enjoying my story, please favorite, follow, and review so I know you like it and so I know if I should post more TMNT stories. Thank you!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 5 – Breaking Don**

"I _said_ throw down your weapons or I'll drop your brother!" Rahzar snapped when Raph refused to dispose of his two-pronged weapons. To further assert his point, Rahzar roughly shook Donnie by the ankle, reaping a whine of pain from his hostage. To Rahzar, the whine was an added bonus.

Way past the brink of frustration, Leo glared over at Raphael, who was _still_ not cooperating, even after Rahzar's second ultimatum. Even after seeing Donnie being manhandled and hearing him wail out in anguish, Raph was still squeezing his sais in his hands. Then, Raph had the gall to climb up a couple of the stairs that led up to the loft area, knowing full well that Rahzar was watching him like a hawk.

"Raph! That's enough! Do what he says!" Leo ordered, not at all pleased with Raph's rebelliousness. With Donnie's life at stake, it was certainly not the time to be insolent or to test their enemy's tolerance level.

Lacking the patience needed to deal with a hostage situation rationally, Raph disregarded Leo's command, just as he had Rahzar's. Holding fast to his weapons, he continued to glare at the mutant dog holding his brother over the ledge. Raph then brazenly climbed up yet another step.

As far as Leo was concerned, Raph was now the enemy as well.

"Raphael! Drop! Your! Weapons! Now!" Leo barked out pointedly, demonstrating more unbridled fury than either Raph or Donnie ever remembered hearing or seeing from their normally even-tempered brother before. It was as though Raph had awoken a long-dormant volcano inside of his placid older brother and years of pent up rage had just erupted from Leo, but the upsurge of emotion was ultimately wasted.

Still, Raph clung to the leather handles of his sais with an unyielding grip while he continued to advance towards Rahzar, step by step.

"Raph," Donnie muttered, gazing over at his immediate older brother with his big, dewy brown eyes, silently asking him 'why?' No matter how hard he tried, Donnie couldn't understand why Raph was willingly jeopardizing his life like this. It was almost like . . . like Raph didn't care if Rahzar killed him.

The sudden realization that two out of his three brothers could care less about him was nothing short of gut-wrenching and Donnie looked at his second oldest brother with such a heart full of despair, it made Raph feel as though he had just been hit in the middle of the chest with a sledgehammer. The shattered way Donnie was looking at him had Raph feeling like he was about two inches tall.

 _Aw, come on, Donnie. Not the sadorable eyes. Anything but the sadorable eyes_ . . . Raph thought, on the verge of letting a rare emotional display slip out, wanting to console his visibly upset little brother, but he knew that he couldn't let Rahzar see any sign of weakness. He knew he had to put his game face back on.

"It's okay, Donnie. He's not gonna drop you. He needs you to make him human again," Raph said, climbing up another step. He was now about halfway up the stairs. "Isn't that right, Dog Breath?"

Rahzar let out a long, low growl from his throat and glared at Raph with his smoldering eyes, careful not to let the turtles' leader, who was still positioned at the bottom of the stairs, completely out of his sights. Then, with one swift movement, the mutated canine heaved Donnie back up over the railing he had been dangling him over. He slammed the turtle down to the floor of the loft next to his feet, not relinquishing his hold on the smaller mutant's ankle.

"Ahhh!" Donnie screeched as he was unexpectedly swung through the air, and then, his momentum was abruptly stopped by his harsh impact with the concrete. Upon his collision with the floor, Donnie grunted and tried to blink the stars out of his eyes. He was struggling to get his bearings straight more than he probably should have been. Thankfully, his plastron had taken the brunt of the crash into the floor and his protective scutes had served their purpose, helping to slightly soften the blow. That didn't mean it had felt good. In truth, it felt like he had just been hit by a truck . . . an enormous truck. He was pretty sure he was about to throw up.

"Donnie!" Raph roared, scaling up a couple more steps, but not nearly as many as Leo suddenly bolted up.

It was like they were playing a demented game of 'Red Light, Green Light.'

Rahzar did not take kindly to Raph and Leo's sudden encroachment on what he perceived as his personal territory and Donnie soon paid the price for his older brothers' failure to stay put.

"Don't even think about moving another inch! I may need your brother to make me human again, but he doesn't need his legs to do it, does he?" Rahzar thundered, harshly wrenching Donnie's lower leg with his oversized hand, eliciting a popping sound from the ankle and a screaming sound from the genius turtle below him.

"Stop! Please! Don't hurt him!" Leo shouted too little, too late as he came to a practically screeching halt just a few steps shy of the top of the staircase. Standing there watching Donnie writhe about in pain was more than Leo could handle and the sight sent his senses reeling. He couldn't help but to liken the situation to earlier in the evening when he had been forced to helplessly watch Donnie writhe about while that bizarre helmet Karai had designed had delivered who knows how many volts of electricity through his brainy brother. He hadn't been able to do anything to help Donnie then, and, in a cruel reprise of history, he couldn't do anything to help Donnie now. Leonardo's perpetual inability to stop his younger brother's torment was ripping the oldest brother's insides apart.

While Leo's mental faculties started to shut down on him, Raph was also immobilized near the peak of the flight of stairs, just a few feet away from where his older brother was frozen. Raph was scared out of his shell that Rahzar was going to bust Donnie's leg because of his foolish actions.

Rahzar's gaze lobbed back and forth, from turtle to turtle, just waiting for one of them to dare to make a move. After a long minute had passed without incident, a horrid smirk grew across Rahzar's face, making Leo and Raph shudder.

"Now, turtle . . . I suggest you drop your weapons!" Rahzar barked, pointing a long, sickle-like claw at Raphael, which was more than just a little unnerving. "That is unless you want to watch me break both of your brother's legs." The werewolf-looking mutant then gave Donnie's leg another torturous twist just to further establish that he was in complete control of the little game they were in the midst of.

Donnie managed to bite back a scream this time, but he could not stop a telltale whimper from eking out and his expression confirmed that he was in agony.

Unable to stomach seeing and hearing his little brother in obvious pain, Raph finally did as his was told. Well, for the most part, he did what he was told. Instead of dropping his weapons like Rahzar had commanded, Raph had opted to toss them up onto the floor of the loft where they slid to a stop about halfway between where he was standing and where Rahzar was towering over Donnie. Raph figured as long as his sais were no longer in his hands, he was in compliance with Rahzar's order. He also figured that if he threw his weapons forward, he would be keeping them in his line of attack if he were to charge Rahzar.

"Okay, okay . . . we did as you asked," Raph said, trying to sound accommodating, but it still came off as slightly confrontational. Raph couldn't help it. He was an instigator, not a negotiator. At least he was trying . . .

Raphael held his hands up to show submission, but the taut fists his hands were balled up into sort of contradicted the gesture. Then, in a complete breach of character, he actually held his tongue for a moment, pausing to choose his tone and his words carefully, for fear of saying something that might add fuel to Rahzar's fire. "Now, will you please let our brother go?"

"Oh, I don't think so," Rahzar said in that abrasive, crackling voice of his that made a person either want to cringe or clear their throat. The dog mutant then bent down and grabbed the rather disorientated turtle next to him by the top of his carapace, tugging his hostage up into a somewhat standing position. Donnie swayed on his unsteady feet, barely able to remain vertical. It looked as though he was totally off-balance, and, if not for Rahzar's vice-like grip on him, he might keel over. That was most likely due to a combination of being hopelessly dizzy and his inability to put much weight on the ankle that Rahzar had just been reefing on.

"I'm not leaving here without your brother," Rahzar hissed through his exposed teeth.

"Neither am I," Raph fumed, instantly ditching the accommodating routine he had been putting on. The red-banded turtle began to edge closer to the top of the stairs, slowly closing the gap between himself and the hideous mutant clutching his little brother.

After what had seemed like forever, Donnie was finally upright once again and it took him a moment to adjust to his new position. Soon, his swirling vision went from seeing double back to seeing single images and the first thing that he noticed was Raph trying to subtly creep his way up the steps. Of course, Raph was to subtle as Mikey was to rocket science. The second thing that Donnie noticed was Rahzar periodically glimpsing over his shoulder at the series of windows behind them. The third thing that Donnie noticed was the guilty look on Leo's face as he stood stock-still on the stairs.

Of his three observations, the thing that concerned Donnie the most was Rahzar's intermittent glancing. Donnie could see that the larger mutant was planning his escape, and, since Rahzar had just announced that he wasn't leaving without him, Donnie now knew that he was an integral part of that escape plan. He also knew that, currently, Rahzar's only way out of the building without a fight was through the windows on the front of the factory. The very same windows that the huge mutant kept looking at.

Though not normally all that perceptive, Raph had also noticed Rahzar's sudden interest in the windows and he had a sneaking suspicion he knew what the creep was up to. He was planning on fleeing with his genius brother. Raph had to put a stop to it.

"Now, I want the two of you to back slowly down the steps. Nice and easy, all the way down to the bottom," Rahzar said, arrogance steaming off of him.

Leo and Raph exchanged wary glances before Raph's mood turned acrid.

"Not gonna happen! Like I said . . . I'm not leaving here without my brother," Raph growled, switching back into his standoffish mode now that the structural integrity of Donnie's ankle wasn't being compromised.

"We don't have a choice, Raph," Leonardo said sternly, half-tempted to drag Raph down the steps by his shell. Leo could not even begin to understand what on earth Raph was thinking. That was probably because Raph wasn't thinking. Not at all.

"Yeah . . . why don't you be a good little turtle and listen to your brother for once?" Rahzar suggested as though he had known Raph for years. The patronizing manner that Rahzar had spoken with had Raph on the cusp of detonation.

Leo repressed the impulse to thank Bradford for siding with him, reminding himself that Bradford didn't deserve his gratitude. The jerk had kidnapped his little brother (twice), tied him up, choked him, shaken him like a ragdoll, threatened to drop him on his head from a significant height, and, most recently, tried to break his leg.

"Yeah? Well, why don't you fight me instead of using my defenseless brother as a shield? Besides, Donnie couldn't turn you human again, even if he wanted to," Raph said with a deliberate glint in his eye.

This comment got everyone's attention.

"Raph, what are you doing?" Leo asked through clamped teeth, lowering his voice to a whisper in hopes that no one would hear him other than Raph.

"Oh, like you weren't thinking the same thing, Leo. I'm just telling Bradford the truth. Donnie isn't capable of making retro mutagen. You know it and I know it," Raph said, matter-of-factly.

Donnie's face turned down into a deplorable frown upon hearing Raph's words. Rahzar's face, however, pulled into a fiendish sneer.

"You're lying just to save his shell!" Rahzar rattled off, glaring at Raph with pure hate in his beady eyes.

"Am I? Whoever told you that Donnie could make retro mutagen was yanking your leash. Donnie just got lucky one time and he has no idea how he did it. There was no actual skill involved. Just dumb luck. He couldn't reproduce a batch of that stuff if his life depended on it. Why do you think our Sensei and Karai are still mutants? It's because Donnie doesn't have a clue how to fix them. Like I said before, he isn't capable of making you human. He's not smart enough," Raph stated bluntly and the whole factory fell eerily silent, save for the sound of Donnie's whole world shattering around him.

Donnie just stared at Raph, utterly broken and pitiful. Raph could see the dejected look on his little brother's face and the tears already pooling in his sorrowful eyes. Raph hated himself for what he had just done, but he would make it up to Donnie later. Right now, he just had to stop Rahzar from trying to take Donnie away from them. This was the only way he could think of on such short notice. He had to convince Rahzar that Donnie wasn't worth stealing, even if it meant hurting his little brother's feelings.

Once Raph explained why he had said those things, Donnie would understand . . .

"Raph!" Leo bellowed, in total disbelief over what his red-clad brother had just said. Sure, Raph was mean to them on a regular basis, but _this_! This went way beyond that. This was just plain cruel. Leo wondered if Raph even realized how badly he had just hurt Donnie.

The word hypocrite suddenly came to Leo's mind. Seeing how traumatized Donnie was by what Raph had said made Leo feel all the worse about what he had said to his second youngest brother to kick off this whole disastrous night. Leo had told Donnie that he hadn't tried hard enough, and now, Raph had told him that he wasn't smart enough. Leo was pretty sure that this night couldn't possibly get any worse for poor Donnie.

And then . . . it did.

"What? I'm only trying to keep Donnie from getting clobbered here. If that freak actually expects Donnie to make him human again, he's gonna be totally ticked when he finds out Donnie can't do it," Raph said, shrugging his shoulders, pretending to be indifferent about the whole thing. He acted as though he hadn't said or done anything wrong.

"Who are you calling a freak, _freak_?" Rahzar growled and his entire body started to tense up as he dully started to process what the red-clad turtle had told him. If what the vulgar turtle had said was true, that meant that he could be stuck in his mutant form forever. The thought alone infuriated him. Then, the red one had to go and keep running his big mouth . . .

"Uh, have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately, buddy? Your bones are supposed to be on the inside, Fido," Raph quipped with a cocky smirk, intentionally trying to become the recipient of Rahzar's aggression. He just needed the monster to let go of Donnie.

"That's it! I'm going to slice that grin off your face!" Rahzar roared, readying to dice Raph up into tiny pieces.

It was at this point, when Rahzar was beside himself with insane fury, the mutant dog loosened his grip on Donnie's shell, finally providing the brainy turtle with a long-awaited opportunity to fight back.

Donnie's hands were still tied behind his back, but his lower body was no longer bound and he knew that his legs were a force to be reckoned with. Even though he was the lightest and thinnest of the turtles, his brothers had told him time and again that he packed a powerful kick, so he hoped to use that to his advantage.

The second Rahzar lost his focus and slackened his hold on Donnie, the genius turtle planted the foot of his good leg firmly on the floor and sent his other leg hurtling into the air, giving Rahzar a fierce back kick right into his unprotected gut. It was a solid hit. That much Donnie knew, because the second his injured leg came into contact with Rahzar's stomach, an excruciating jolt of pain shot through his entire body.

Unfortunately, even though Donnie had kicked Bradford as hard as he could, the only one who seemed to feel any pain from the attack was Donnie. The mutant dog looked as if he was completely unfazed by the blow that Donnie had delivered by way of his foot. In fact, Bradford hadn't moved a muscle, aside from his chest heaving with rage.

Donnie's brown eyes widened to about twice the size as they had been moments before as he stared up at a now unhinged Chris Bradford. The only thing Donnie had just managed to accomplish was to antagonize the already ferocious beast.

 _Well, that could have definitely gone better_ . . . Donnie thought woefully. Torn between whether he should laugh or cry over his rotten luck up to this point, Donnie let out a sort of half-chuckle/half-whimper sound.

In response, Rahzar released a thunderous growl that seemed to rattle the very foundation of the building. The sound caused fear to spread across Donnie's face as well as Leo and Raph's, who were still standing awestruck at the top of the stairs.

Only a couple of seconds had actually passed since Donnie had unsuccessfully attacked Rahzar, but everything seemed to be going in slow motion and it seemed like it took forever – not seconds – for Rahzar to react. When he did, Donnie found himself wishing he wouldn't have.

"Since you're the smart one, I'm sure you realize what a stupid move you just made! And now that I've been informed that you're useless, there's really no reason to keep you alive anymore, is there?" Rahzar snarled and he drew his arm back once again, preparing to strike.

"Donnie!" Raph and Leo screamed in unison and they sprinted towards Rahzar, but their reaction time was just a little too slow. They couldn't stop what happened next. They couldn't save their brother . . .

With his wrists tied behind him, Donnie had no way of blocking Rahzar's incoming blow. He could only watch as Rahzar's arm flashed back and came swooping towards him. In the background, Donnie could hear his brother's yelling his name, and, out of the corner of his eye, he could see them coming towards him, but he knew there was no way they would be able to get to him in time. They wouldn't be able to protect him.

 _Not this time . . ._

* * *

 _ **To be continued . . .**_


	6. Chapter 6 - Shell-acking

_***Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.**_

 _ ***Author's Note: As promised, I'm posting chapter 6 a little earlier than planned, because it was actually originally part of chapter 5. Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews and for 'favoriting' and following me and my stories. I really, really appreciate it.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 6 – Shell-acking**

There was a naïve part of Donnie holding out hope that Mikey or even Master Splinter might come crashing through the glass windows at any second, just in the nick of time to save him. There was another desperate part of him still clinging to the chance that Leo or Raph could pull off some kind of miracle and push him out of the way.

But the logical part of Donnie told him that it was too late . . .

Alas, logic prevailed.

"Donnie! No!" Was the last thing that Hamato Donatello heard his older brothers yell before being struck down.

Rahzar backhanded Donnie with such tremendous force, it sent the powerless turtle flying across the loft area, several feet away from where the mutant dog stood. Donnie emitted a high-pitched yelp as he soared through the air, but the yelp was soon cut off by his sudden collision with a brick wall. Upon impact, there came the sickening sound of Donnie slamming head-first into the hard surface, and then, his body awkwardly collapsed to the floor, as though he was boneless. He landed in a heap on the concrete, lying motionless on his side, directly below the windows that he would have gone right through if Rahzar's backhand would have hurled him just a few inches over to the left or the right.

Propelled by pure anger, Leo and Raph both charged at Rahzar, but they were just a few seconds too late. Donnie was already out of commission by the time they got within striking range of Rahzar, but they did manage to save their genius brother from a potential second assault. As Leo and Raph had stormed towards Rahzar, they had seen that the monster had been actually contemplating kicking Donnie while he was down, but a roar from Raph had distracted Rahzar from doing so. Rahzar had spun around just in time to see the hotheaded turtle barrel into his chest like a linebacker.

Raph's objective was to tackle the mutant canine down to the floor and pummel him into oblivion, but just like Donnie's futile attempt to kick Rahzar down only seconds ago, Raph was unable to inflict any actual damage on the larger mutant. He wound up doing more harm to himself than to his intended target. A bit dazed from his crash into Rahzar, Raph gingerly rubbed the top of his now-ringing head and staggered backwards a couple of clumsy steps, nearly knocking Leo over in the process. That moment of ungainliness was just the opening Rahzar needed.

"Oh crud," was all that Raph got out before Rahzar flung his right arm out at him and swiftly knocked the unbalanced red-banded turtle over the loft railing, sending him tumbling down to the lower level. Raph let out a loud yell that was filled with both anger and alarm as he plummeted to the floor. His descent ended with a painful grunt, and then, there was the deafening sound of silence.

"Raph!" Leo shouted and his heart was about to jump out of his chest, it was pounding so hard. Having just witnessed both of his younger brothers go down in less than a minute, Leo was on the threshold of a full-fledged panic attack, but he somehow managed to keep his wits about him. He forced himself to focus his attention on Rahzar. After seeing his brothers' failed attempts to take the beast down with brute force, Leo decided a different line of attack was in order. He found himself wondering ' _what would Master Splinter do_?' as he oftentimes tended to do in highly stressful situations. It was either that or he would ponder what his all-time favorite television hero, Captain Ryan, would do, but the good captain's rather overdramatic solutions generally didn't apply to real-life situations. After all, Leo was pretty sure there wasn't a disintegrator or a thermal charge anywhere in the immediate vicinity.

Leo's sensible side won out and he once again rejected the idea of vaporizing the enemy, electing to instead go with what he felt Master Splinter would do. Leo swung his leg around and swept the feet right out from under Rahzar.

The old 'the bigger they are, the harder they fall' idiom proved to be true. Rahzar fell backwards and landed hard on his back with a resonating thud that probably felt even worse than it had sounded . . . and it had sounded pretty bad.

With Rahzar momentarily down for the count, Leo's first inclination was to check on his two brothers, but he had to remind himself that he had precious few seconds to gear up for another attack from Shredder's crony. He hopped back a couple of feet and scooped up Raph's discarded sais. They were certainly not his weapon of choice, nor was he all that skilled at using them, but Rahzar didn't necessarily know that.

Rahzar was attempting to push himself back up to his feet when Leo marched up to him and pointed his brother's sais down towards the skeletal mutant. For a moment, Rahzar just sat there, clutching his head in one hand, still slightly disoriented. Leo put on his most intimidating face, hoping his eyes would not betray him and reveal the doubt that he was feeling inside. With two brothers already out of action, he wasn't exactly feeling all that confident, but again, Rahzar didn't necessarily know that.

"Give it up, Bradford, or I will make you sorely regret it!" Leo ordered, trying to sound all volatile and deranged like Raph would have, but he just ended up sounding incredibly cheesy. If Raph would have heard what he had just said, he would have surely called him a hopeless dork.

"Give up? I'm just getting started," Rahzar rasped, and then, he audaciously rose into an upright position despite Leo having his weapons directed right at him, as though he was daring the turtle's leader to make a move. Apparently, Leo's efforts to intimidate the bigger mutant had not been the least bit effective, because Rahzar showed no concern whatsoever for the leader's close proximity or the fact that the turtle was now armed.

Still trying to maintain the illusion of control, Leo assumed a fighting stance and glared up at Rahzar, looking him dead in the eyes. Where Leo had hoped there would be fear, there was arrogance, which was the exact opposite of what Leo was feeling right about now.

"I'm warning you, Bradford! Leave now or I'll be forced to finish you off!" Leo ordered, doing a better job at sounding dangerous this time, but Rahzar still wasn't buying it. Leo couldn't blame him. He wouldn't have bought it either.

"Heh! Don't make me laugh! You don't have the _guts_ to finish me," Rahzar goaded and a pompous grin passed his face. He leaned over Leo menacingly, just toying with the turtle.

The sight of Rahzar's vicious-looking teeth made Leo internally flinch and he didn't even realize that he had stiffened his hold around Raph's sais which were presently only inches away from Rahzar's chest.

Leo gulped down his tension, nearly choking on it, as he tried and failed to come up with some kind of decent response.

As it turned out, he didn't have to.

"No . . . but I do," came a low, rumbling voice from behind Leo.

"Raph!" Leo practically sang out. He then backed away from Rahzar, making sure not to step on Donnie, who was still lying on his side next to the wall where he had fallen. Leo tried his best to push back his mounting sense of horror over the fact that Donnie still showed no signs of waking.

Standing over Donnie's prone form protectively, Leo checked to make sure that he was well out of Rahzar's strike zone before he turned to lay eyes on his brother in red. Raph was standing at the top of the stairs, looking none the worse for wear and seriously teed off. While it was par for the course for Raph to look cranky – even on days where he was supposedly in a "good" mood – the current expression scrawled across his face was a poisonous scowl that he only reserved for special occasions and the most-hated of enemies.

Leo had only been the recipient of this particular look a handful of times during his lifetime, but he was quite familiar with the repercussions that usually followed. It only took one time to learn that when Raph gave you this look, you'd better run.

Lucky for Leo, this time, he was not on the receiving end of Raph's infamous death glare. That misfortune was earmarked for Rahzar.

Even though Leo was still disgusted with Raph to no end for things now too numerous to keep track of, he couldn't stop a tight smile from forming on his lips. Of course, that smile may not have been for Raph, but rather for what he was carrying. In Raph's hands were Leo's katanas; their honed blades glistening in the moonlight flickering in through the windows. Leo wasn't sure what he was happier to see: an unscathed Raph or his cherished swords. Either way, he felt a tremendous weight lift off of his chest.

"'Bout time you got up off your lazy shell," Leo carped in a smart-alecky tone.

"You didn't think I'd let you have _all_ the fun, did you?" Raph said with a smirk as he rushed towards Leo. At the same time, Rahzar also rushed towards Leo, lashing out at the turtles' leader with his razor-like talons. He was hoping to filet the blue-clad turtle in one clean swipe so that he could then focus on skewering the mouthy one. There was minimal daylight remaining and he just wanted to get some sleep at this point.

All those years of Ninjutsu training and putting in extra practice in the Dojo definitely paid off. Leo was able to easily elude the attack with nary a scratch. Rahzar's claws scraped against the same section of wall that Donnie had smashed into, producing a sound effect that was equally as spine-tingling as scratching a fork against a glass plate.

Leo involuntarily cringed at the noise, but only for about a half a second, as he couldn't afford to waste any time. Rahzar was now standing over Donnie, with his claws outstretched, just itching to take his frustrations out on whatever got in his way, and, right now, the genius was in his sights.

It was at this moment that Raph once again plowed into the bigger mutant. This time, he slammed his shoulder and the top of his carapace into Rahzar's right side, effectively knocking the canine mutant several turtle's lengths away from Donnie, but not down to the floor as Raph had hoped. Still, all in all, it was much more successful than Raph's previous attempt at bringing down Rahzar.

"Stay away from my brother, you boney mutt!" Raph howled as he watched Rahzar lurch sideways, stumbling to catch his balance. Raph and Leo seized the opportunity to quickly exchange weapons.

"That's more like it," Raph said, twirling his sais in his hands without even looking at them. Raph's eyes were locked on Rahzar, who had already assumed a fighting stance.

Leo looked at his hotheaded brother, then, at Rahzar, and, finally, at Donnie. It was late, they were all exhausted, and Donnie still hadn't moved. Leo really didn't feel like duking it out with Rahzar. He was more concerned about Donnie at this point.

A change of strategy seemed necessary. The ever-preemptive Leo had a plan to end the looming confrontation before it even began.

"Okay, Raph. All we have to do now is hold Bradford off until Master Splinter gets here," Leo said casually, hoping Raph would catch onto his new tactic. Sometimes, Raph was a little slow on the uptake. Not Mikey-slow, but still considerably slower than Donatello or Leonardo. Especially when he was in his combat zone.

"What?" Raph grunted, glancing over his shoulder at Leo, looking at him as though he had worms crawling out of every orifice.

Leo pretended to be exasperated by Raph's ignorance and gave him that same 'duh' look that Michelangelo so often did.

"We know that Master Splinter and Mikey are on their way to the factory. Once they get here, we should have no trouble taking Bradford down . . . permanently," Leo said in an icier tone than normal as he slid his two katana blades together just to yield the distinctive sound of metal on metal that chimed through the musty night air. The turtles' leader then stood taller, proudly displaying his katana out in front of him for show. It was all part of his master plan.

Leo had watched Bradford's undersized eyes expand to the size of golf balls when he had pointed out that Master Splinter was en route to the building, notifying Leo that his plan was indeed working. Just as Leo had suspected, Bradford had nearly frozen up at the mere mention of their Sensei.

Earlier in the evening, when Karai had captured all four turtles in order to use them as bait to coerce Master Splinter to participate in her twisted little game, Master Splinter had single-handedly taken out all of Karai's accomplices, including Rahzar. In fact, the only one of Karai's allies that Master Splinter hadn't totally KOed had been Tiger Claw. Leo knew that Rahzar had seen firsthand that Master Splinter was an impervious force not to be messed with . . . _ever_.

Leo was going to use Rahzar's fear of Sensei to their advantage. He could see that Rahzar had suddenly gone as stiff as a board, seemingly lost in his thoughts, as if debating on what his next move should be. Leo was guessing that Rahzar was deliberating on whether to fight or flight. Additional doubt needed to be cast.

"They were already on Bleecker when Mikey called, so they should be here any second," Leo said matter-of-factly, acting as though Rahzar wasn't standing right there in front of him, planning out loud for all to hear. Leo kept his fingers crossed that Raph would catch on, but he didn't, complicating matters greatly.

"What are you talking about?" Raph hissed over his shoulder, growing impatient with Leo's continued nonsense. It hardly seemed like the time for Leo to make up a bunch of crap. Sometimes Fearless drove Raph up a wall. This was one of those times. Raph was not a very happy turtle, but, then again, neither was Leo . . .

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about, Raph. Mikey said that he and Sensei were on Bleecker Street and they were heading straight to the warehouse to help us take out Bradford. Sensei was looking for a little retribution, remember?" Leo improvised, giving Raph a somber look, trying to visually will his brother to stop and think for once.

Finally, the light bulb clicked on in Raph's head and he was quick to join in on Leo's deception.

"Of course I know that Sensei wanted some payback, but Mikey didn't say anything about Bleecker Street. They were checking out that old warehouse on Hobart Street when we told them to get over here. Don't you ever listen?" Raph snarled cynically, more than happy to play along with Leo's little charade. And, as an added bonus, Raph got to make Leo look stupid in front of the enemy. As far as Raph was concerned, it was the best thing that had happened all night.

Leo flashed Raph a glare before responding. "Either way, they should be here any second," Leo grumbled, trying in vain to disguise his mounting irritation with Raph.

"Yeah, and when they get here, I can't wait to watch Sensei beat the daylights out of old Lassie here," Raph said with a content smirk as he aimed the blade of a sai towards Rahzar with the sole purpose of taunting the bigger mutant.

Rahzar narrowed his eyes on Raph, then on Leo, and then, back on Raph again. His gaze then veered towards the large window to the left of where Donatello was lying. The very same window he had contemplated jumping through earlier.

Growling in disgust, Rahzar took another lengthy look at the turtles before charging at them once again. Leo and Raph's defenses immediately went up and they planted their feet firmly in front of Donnie, ready to protect him at all cost, but they didn't have to. Rahzar took a hard left and crashed, arms first, through the very window he had been eyeing up.

Leo and Raph didn't move a muscle. They just silently watched as Rahzar broke through the glass, leapt over the rusty metal balcony railing along the front of the building, and then, disappeared out of their sight.

They were both totally shell-shocked. Never in a million years did either one of them think that Leo's idiotic plan would actually go off without a hitch the way it just had. Too stunned to move, the two of them could only stand there, mouths ajar, staring out of the now shattered window. The Chris Bradford-sized void in the glass the two turtles were staring at was the end result of the world's stupidest escape.

Just like that, it was over. Or so they had thought . . .

After nearly a minute of wordlessly gazing out of the busted window, Raph was the first to break the silence.

"You're a real dork. You know that, right?" Raph noted, still not moving from the spot he stood as though he still couldn't believe that Bradford was gone.

"What? Why?" Leo asked in a slightly higher voice than normal, not sure what he had done to warrant such an insulting comment. After all, he had just saved their shells.

"Do the words 'give it up, Bradford, or I will make you sorely regret it' ring any bells? Can you not hear how incredibly lame you sound when you say crap like that? It's embarrassing . . . seriously," Raph said in his typical gruff fashion, following with an eye roll and an exasperated sigh.

"Real nice, Raph. Let's just get out of here," Leo groaned, clearly annoyed with Raph's behavior. All Leo wanted to do at this point was head back to the lair and get a little bit of sleep. Morning practice started in a few hours and he highly doubted that Master Splinter would go gentle on them even after all that had occurred. The sooner Leo could collapse onto his bed, the better.

Raph was of the same mindset.

"Okay, you can get up now, Genius. I think you've been milking it long enough. It's time to go home," Raph said, letting his grouchy disposition drench his tone, never one to hide that he was in a foul mood just to keep up appearances. Whereas Leo was into saving face, Raph was into anything but saving face. Mostly, he just liked to pound faces, and, right about now, there was no face that Raph wanted to pound more than Leo's. Needless to say, Raph was one crabby turtle.

The sooner they got Donnie up and got out of there, the less likely that Raph would impale Leo with a sai. Raph really had no desire to suffer the wrath of Master Splinter when the old rat got word that he had shish-kebabbed his older brother. Yes, the best plan was to make a hasty exit before Raph stabbed first and thought later.

The problem with Raph's plan was that Donnie didn't make any motion to get up, even after Raph had told him to. Donnie just laid there.

"Donnie?" Leo said warily, not bothering to disguise the hint of fear blossoming in his voice.

Donnie wasn't moving. In fact, he hadn't moved an inch from where he had fallen after being thrown into the wall by Rahzar.

"Come on, Donnie. Quit goofing around. Break time's over," Raph said with waning confidence as he turned towards his second youngest brother, having heard the apprehension in his older sibling's voice.

Leo was already kneeling beside Donnie with an expression that could only be described as mortified.

"Donnie?" Raph nearly choked on the word as he watched his older brother frantically cut away the ropes that had been securing Donnie's wrists together, and still, Donnie did not move. His arms hung limply behind him in an awkward position that no one would adopt if they were awake.

Using the utmost care, Leo rolled his second youngest brother onto his carapace and Donnie's head lolled to the side with no resistance whatsoever. The way that Donnie's head lifelessly flopped over made Leo's breath catch in his throat and he thought for sure he was going to be sick.

It was then that Raph and Leo saw the ugly, swollen contusion on Donnie's forehead that was just above his right eye. The deep bruising was almost the same color as the genius turtle's purple mask.

Flashbacks of Donnie bashing into the brick wall replayed in both of the older turtles' minds. They could still hear the awful sound that Donnie had made when he smacked headlong into the wall and they could still see their little brother's body crumple to the floor in a flaccid pile, like he was made of wet noodles.

That monster, Rahzar, had thrown Donnie into the wall knowing full well that the brainy turtle couldn't protect himself. What was worse was that Leo and Raph had been forced to watch that monster throw Donnie into the wall knowing full well that they couldn't protect him, either.

"Donnie," Leo gasped, suddenly scared out of his mind. For a long moment, he froze right up, too afraid to touch his little brother. Donnie was so frighteningly still, it was like he was . . .

"Donnie!" Raph interrupted what remained of Leo's morbid thought.

Putting his kneepads to good use, Raph gracelessly dove down to the floor, skidding to a halt at Donnie's side in less than a heartbeat. Upon his rather rough landing, Raph received a mild case of floor burn to both of his shins, but he didn't even feel it, for he was too focused on his little brother.

Raph glanced over at Leo, hoping to find the reassurance that usually resided on the fearless leader's face in times of crisis. Hoping to find that certain look that always promised them that everything was going to be okay, but there was no reassurance to be found in Leo's expression.

That was because everything was far from okay . . .

* * *

 _ **To be continued . . .**_

 _ ***Author's Note: Heads up for all you Mikey fans out there! The next chapter will bring the much-anticipated return of the youngest brother!**_

 _ **Thank you very much for reading. Please favorite/follow/review if you like my story. :)**_


	7. Chapter 7 - Down and Out

_***Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.**_

 ** _*Author's Notes: Here is chapter 7 of 'You're Needed Here Now, Donnie.' I know that it hasn't been that long since I posted chapter 6, but I have been trying to post something each Monday for you so I wanted to stay consistent. Just so you know, I will try to post all future chapters of this story on Monday evenings. If I get enough interest, I may start posting another one of my multi-chapter stories soon (check out my profile page to see what I'm working on. Feel free to PM me if you want more info)._**

 ** _I would like to thank all of you for your continued support. Your many thoughtful reviews mean a lot to me. I also really appreciate all of you who have 'favorited' and/or followed me and my stories. I get excited every time I get an email saying that someone has just 'favorited' or followed me and/or my story. Thank you so much for that! :)_**

 ** _CJ_**

* * *

 **Chapter 7 – Down and Out**

Raph could see the fear that had lodged itself in Leo's eyes and he could tell that his older brother's ability to think straight had been severely compromised. Leo was just staring down at Donnie, wide-eyed and statue-like, as if someone had put the oldest turtle on pause.

 _Oh man! Fearless is wigging out. That can't be good . . ._

"Donnie! This isn't funny! Open your eyes! Now!" Raph demanded, leaning over Donnie's disturbingly motionless form, still trying to convince himself that his younger brother was faking being hurt just to get back at them, but with each passing moment that the genius didn't show any signs of waking, Raph felt his grip on his own composure slipping through his fingertips. Raph reached down and cupped a hand on the side of Donnie's face that was rested against the concrete floor and pulled his brother's head towards him. He instantly found himself wishing he hadn't done so, because he could not help but to notice the heat radiating from Donnie's skin. The high temperature ironically sent a chill up and down Raph's spine.

"Aw, sewer bunnies! He's burning up, Leo!" Raph howled, showing the first outward signs of losing his self-control.

Leo completely understood how Raph was feeling inside, for he was also feeling that very same sense of coming unraveled at the seams. Especially upon hearing that Donnie was still suffering from a fever. Why Leo had let Donnie leave the lair when he knew that his little brother was sick was beyond him.

After a few prolonged moments of mentally cursing himself for about the hundredth time that night, Leo finally recovered from his initial shock of seeing Donnie unconscious and repossessed his ability to move once again. He bent over the opposite side of Donnie that Raph was stooped over and he pressed his shaky hand against the center of his brainy little brother's plastron. The aspirin that Donnie had claimed to have taken for his fever had not reduced his temperature the slightest bit. In fact, as near as Leo could tell without the aid of a thermometer, Donnie's fever was much higher than it had been earlier in the evening.

"Oh man. This is bad. We need to call Sensei," Leo muttered, reaching for his belt where he knew his T-phone was. He was desperately trying to remain calm, but seeing Donnie lying there hurt wasn't helping his cause any. His stomach was doing flip-flops and his heart was galloping like a race horse just out of the gait.

 _This is all my fault. All my fault . . ._

As Leo fumbled with his T-phone, Raphael began repeating Donnie's name while he lightly tapped the unbruised side of his little brother's face with his free hand, trying to rouse the brainy turtle out of his wall-induced slumber. At first, Raph was gentle with his efforts to revive his injured brother, but when Donnie didn't respond to the repeated contact, Raph grew more aggressive and his tapping soon turned into something more. When softly hitting Donnie didn't do the trick, Raph's strikes suddenly grew harder and more frantic, leaving red welts behind that Raph couldn't see through his watery eyes.

The appalling sound of Raph slapping Donnie captured Leo's attention and he tossed his phone aside, forgetting all about calling Master Splinter. Not about to idly sit by and watch Raph beat the heck out of their already wounded brother, Leo lunged forward and attempted to stop Raph's manic assault on Donnie. Raph was quick to shove Leo's hands away so that he could seize hold of Donnie's shoulders and try shaking his little brother back into consciousness.

Though he was still out cold, Donnie moaned in pain as Raph tried to jostle him out of his shell, much like Rahzar had done not so long ago.

"Raph! Stop!" Leo yelled, trying to once again pry Raph off of Donnie, who's seemingly jointless body was flopping about in his red-banded brother's inflexible grip. Leo was sure that Raph had lost his mind. How could Raph possibly think that his violent actions were helping Donnie in any way? If Donnie had a concussion – which Leo was guessing he did – shaking him was the worst thing that Raph could have done.

"Raph!"

"No! You can't do this to me, Donnie! You have to be okay! Please! Look at me, Donnie!" Raph screamed hysterically, throwing his elbows sideways in an attempt to block Leo's endeavors to stop him. Raph continued to hold onto Donnie for dear life, still shaking his younger brother's slack form in his stiffened grasp.

"Raph! What is wrong with you?" Leo screeched, still frenziedly trying to push Raph away from Donnie, but leverage was not on his side. No matter how hard Leo tried, he couldn't get a good hold on his feral brother.

"Wake up, Donnie! Please! You have to wake up!" Raph shouted hoarsely and there was a berserk look in his eyes that made Leo's skin crawl. Something inside of Raph had obviously snapped and the red-clad turtle refused to renounce his hold on Donnie.

"Raphael! Let! Him! Go! You're hurting him!" Leo bellowed as he sprung up off of the floor and grabbed onto Raph's forearms, pulling on his brother with all he had. Finally, Leo managed to tear Raph's hands off of Donnie's shoulders and the oldest brother dragged his lunatic brother several feet away from his defenseless brother.

After Raph released him, Donnie's body slumped loosely back down to the floor, still demonstrating no visible signs of waking. Upon seeing Donnie's still form lying there, Raph started to come back down to reality and Leo could feel the hothead's muscles begin to relax. When Leo felt that Raph no longer posed a threat to Donnie, he dropped his immediate younger brother to the floor rather unceremoniously. Leo took this opportunity to catch his breath, which he had been holding for over a minute now.

Raph, on the other hand, took this opportunity to suffer the nervous breakdown that he had been holding back since realizing that Donnie was injured.

"No! No! I didn't mean to hurt him!" Raph wailed, hunching over and burying his face in his hands to hide the tears he was striving so hard to fight back. His broad shoulders shook as he struggled to subdue his sobs. He tried with all of his strength to rise above the wreckage from within that was threatening to pull him under. He couldn't let Leo see him fall apart like this, but he felt as though he was drowning in despair.

 _Donnie's hurt and it's all my fault. If it wasn't for my big mouth . . ._

"Please, Donnie. Just open your eyes," Raph pleaded from behind his muffling hands, unable to even look at Donnie as he continued to shamelessly beg for him to wake up. "You weren't supposed to get hurt. I was just trying to get him to let you go. I never wanted anything bad to happen to you. I swear I didn't mean any of those awful things I said. I was stupid . . . So stupid," Raph criticized himself out loud, but pointing out his many wrongdoings didn't make him feel any better about what he had done. It just made him feel even more remorse and his insides felt as though they had been hollowed out by his guilt.

Feeling his self-control hanging on by the thinnest of threads, Raph attempted to draw in a deep, cleansing breath so that he could continue to persuade Donnie to come back to them, but he was finding it difficult to take in enough air to fill up his lungs. He wasn't good at this whole apologizing thing. Hence the reason he was currently curled up into something close to a ball and speaking into the palms of his hands. Even though Donnie was unconscious, Raph still couldn't muster up the backbone to bring himself to look at his injured brother while he asked for his forgiveness.

"Please wake up, Donnie. Please be okay. I'm so sorry, little brother. I didn't mean what I said. I didn't mean to hurt you," Raph said and his voice trailed off into the faintest of whispers. It was something his voice rarely did. He hated hearing the sound of weakness in his voice as he basically groveled for Donnie's absolution, but even more so, he hated hearing what he had said to Donnie just before Rahzar had attacked him sounding off in his head.

" _Donnie couldn't turn you human again, even if he wanted to."_

" _I'm just telling Bradford the truth. Donnie isn't capable of making retro mutagen. You know it and I know it."_

" _Whoever told you that Donnie could make retro mutagen was yanking your leash. Donnie just got lucky one time and he has no idea how he did it. There was no actual skill involved. Just dumb luck."_

" _He couldn't reproduce a batch of that stuff if his life depended on it. Why do you think our Sensei and Karai are still mutants? It's because Donnie doesn't have a clue how to fix them."_

" _Like I said before, he isn't capable of making you human. He's not smart enough."_

He could still hear all of those horrible things that he had said to his own brother. Raph could still see the devastated look on his little brother's face after he had announced to everyone that Donnie was incompetent and "not smart enough." What Raph had said was no better than Leo telling Donnie that he wasn't trying hard enough earlier in the evening. What Raph had said was just plain heartless.

"I'm sorry, Donnie . . ."

Raph couldn't see Leo or Donnie's reactions to what he had just said, for his face was still clutched in his hands, but he could hear his older brother quietly sniffling behind him. Raph figured that must have meant that his pathetic version of an apology must not have been all that bad.

Forcing himself to open his teary eyes, Raph checked to see if Donnie had responded to his pleas only to be disappointed. An unhappy sigh deflated out of Raph when he saw that his little brother was still out for the count. Raph crawled over to Donnie and sat down next to him. He lowered his head so that it was closer to his little brother's face, and then, he ever-so gently rested his hand on the top of Donnie's head.

"Why isn't he waking up?" Raph asked Leo in such a low tone, Leo had barely heard it over the sound of his own breathing. When Leo looked over at Raph, he was surprised to see the utterly lost expression on his temperamental brother's face. Raph generally wasn't one to wear his emotions like that unless those emotions were that of anger, aggravation, or even more anger, but the look that was now engraved on Raph's face was peculiarly meek and sentimental. Leo guessed it was Raph's way of revealing that he was scared out of his shell and he needed his big brother to tell him what to do.

As mad as Leo was at Raph at this point, he couldn't refrain from feeling sorry for his immediate younger brother. Raph was sitting there, looking totally hopeless and pitiful, as though everything had just come crashing down upon him. It was a side of Raph that Leo didn't see very often. Not since he had lost Spike . . .

Leo crawled back over to Donnie's side and sat down beside his two younger brothers, keeping his gaze focused on the unconscious one. Trying not to let his emotions get the better of him as he eyed the many bruises littering Donnie's normally olive-green colored skin, Leo sunk his teeth into his bottom lip. Like Raph, the leader was at a complete loss as to what to do and he felt himself crumbling to pieces on the inside. Raph and Donnie both needed him to stay strong, but he was having a hard time putting up a brave front for his younger brothers. Still, he had to try, for their sake. He was the leader and he was supposed to provide guidance when things were at their darkest, even when he himself felt like falling apart.

Leo was about to say something to Raph when he was interrupted.

"Booyakasha! The cavalry has arrived!"

The boisterous battle cry of the youngest turtle echoing from the other end of the factory was instantly recognizable and was certainly no exercise in subtly. Michelangelo had always had a real flair for making a dramatic entrance even though he was a highly trained martial artist and Master Splinter had taught all of them over and over again that true ninja warriors should be the very embodiment of invisibility and silence. Those were two qualities that Michelangelo knew nothing about. However, what Mikey lacked in discipline, stealth and focus, he more than made up for with enthusiasm, racket and obnoxiousness.

Mikey paused near the back of the building for a moment to strike some goofy pose that none of his brothers actually saw before he started sprinting towards the front of the building where his big brothers were. Though not the most observant of the brothers, Mikey could instantly tell that something was amiss. First off, he noticed that Rahzar was nowhere in sight, and then, he observed that his two oldest brothers were crouched down on the floor, hovering over something that Mikey could not see from his current viewpoint. Mikey got a yucky feeling in the pit of his gut, sort of like that icky feeling he had gotten in his tummy the day after he ate that green-colored, cockroach-covered piece of pizza that had been rotting in the warm fridge the whole time they were away from the lair for those several months after the Kraang invasion. Mikey just hoped that this new yucky feeling wouldn't result in him throwing up like five gazillion times like before.

Ignoring what his stomach was telling him, Mikey attempted to stay locked in his happy-go-lucky mode, but even as optimistic as he usually was, he was having a tough time pushing his troubled thoughts to the back of his noggin. He had to remind himself several times to chillax, because there was absolutely nothing to worry about. He was sure that he was just being paranoid. _Totally sure_. He knew his brothers like the back of his shell and he had no doubt that his big brothers had everything under control. _Right_?

"Dudes, what'd I miss? Don't tell me you guys took out Rahzar without me," Mikey fake-whined like a little kid who didn't get his way as he skipped up the steps to the loft.

When Mikey reached the top of the stairs, his greatest fears were realized. He knew that he should have trusted his belly. His gut instincts were uncannily accurate, like some weird kind of sixth sense, or, more fittingly, a "stomach" sense. Mikey was convinced now more than ever that his stomach should never be questioned. His tummy was just as smart as Master Splinter and maybe even . . .

 _Donnie . . ._

Poignantly, Mikey's stomach bottomed out.

"Donnie!" Mikey yipped, rushing to his downed brother's side. "What happened to him?"

There was an unspoken accusation in the way that Michelangelo looked at his two oldest brothers that made Leo and Raph both hang their heads down in shame, feeling as though Mikey had just laid all of the blame on them. Mikey had every right to do so, but that didn't make it hurt any less.

"Rahzar threw him into the wall when his arms were tied and he hit his head," Raph said, following with a coarse growl that rolled out of his throat. Saying what had happened aloud made Raph want to break something. Namely, every bone in Chris Bradford's body.

"He tied Donnie up?" Mikey asked with a growl of his own. Something neither of the two oldest brothers had expected to hear out of their easygoing baby brother.

Just the thought of his kind and peaceful brainy older brother being tied up made Mikey's blood boil. He had already had the displeasure of seeing Donnie shackled to a chair and getting zapped just a few hours ago. Hearing that Donnie had been tied up and thrown into a wall ticked the normally unflappable youngest turtle right off. Ticked him off _big time_! He imagined that this was much the same way that Raph felt when he got all riled up.

Not surprisingly, when Mikey looked over at his short-fused big brother, he could see that the veins in Raph's forehead were bulging out, indicating that he was super peeved. That was because just hearing Mikey ask about Donnie being tied up made Raph's blood pressure skyrocket. Same as Mikey, Raph couldn't stand the thought of someone tying up his shy and brainy little brother. It wasn't right. Donnie wouldn't hurt a fly if given the choice, yet Rahzar had had no reservations about hurting Donnie.

"That coward attacked Donnie, knowing that he had no way to defend himself," Raph muttered in his misery, keeping his eyes glued on Donnie. As soon as the words had departed Raph's lips, he instantly realized that he could have just as soon been talking about what he himself had done to Donnie rather than Rahzar. Raph was certain that he was just as much of a coward as Rahzar, if not even more so. As Donnie's big brother, it was his responsibility to protect his younger brother from harm, not be the reason for his suffering.

The anger strayed from Raph's face, no longer camouflaging the torment that he was feeling inside from his youngest brother's earnest eyes.

"Are . . . are you . . . crying?" Mikey hesitantly asked, filled with disbelief, never thinking that he would ever pose such a question to his second oldest brother. Up until this very moment, Mikey thought sure that Raph was physically incapable of shedding tears. He had seriously thought that Raph was born without tear ducts or that his brother in red had some kind of other weird medical condition that would prevent someone from being able to cry.

Raph never cried. _Ever_! Not even when something really sad happened or when he stubbed his toe mega hard.

"No!" Raphael grunted crossly in response, pressing the thick digits of his unoccupied hand into his eye sockets to push back any moisture that may have slipped past his defenses, letting his mask soak up any other evidence that may have still existed. There was no way he was going to let Mikey see him crying. His baby brother would forever rub it in his face and never let him live it down.

"Ah, it's okay, Raph. Crying doesn't make you less of a turtle, bro. You can let it out. You always try to act all rough and tough, but we all know that, deep down, you're just a big old softie," Mikey said with a knowing wink and a smile. Touchy-feely Mikey would have reached out and patted Raph on the shell if he wasn't so afraid that his volatile older brother would tear his arm clean off and whack him over the head with it.

"I'm not crying!" Raph denied, and, just like that, the anger was blazing in his green eyes once again, making him look more like himself, but Mikey didn't even see it.

The orange-clad turtle with the shortest attention span of the four brothers had already shifted his concentration onto his unconscious older brother and what Mikey saw was freaking him right out. Donnie didn't look so good. He was all pale and banged up, like someone had used him as a punching bag or for target practice in an amateur hammer throwing competition. Mikey reached out and brushed his hand against Donnie's cheek and that was what ultimately sent the youngest turtle into a tizzy.

"Dude! Donnie's on fire . . . and not in a good way! It feels like he's going to burst into flames!" Mikey squawked, jerking his hand away from Donnie as if he had been severely burned just by coming into contact with his genius brother's skin. The reaction seemed a bit exaggerated, but it was nothing out of the ordinary for Mikey to lay the acting on extra thick. Mikey was all about making a spectacle. Even now, he was putting on quite the show, squirming and wriggling about like someone had filled his shell with eels.

"We know, Mikey," Leo said in a little blunter fashion than he had meant to. The oldest turtle guessed that his sudden lack of patience had something to do with his stress overload, sleep deprivation, and Mikey pointing out the painfully obvious as if he and Raph were too stupid to figure things out for themselves.

Then, Leo thought . . . _We_ _ **are**_ _too stupid to figure things out for ourselves. That's why Donnie's lying here hurt._

"So . . . what do we do?" Mikey whimpered, laden with worry as he wrapped his now-trembling hands tightly around one of Donnie's limp hands. Mikey's eyes shimmered with temporarily unshed tears that he made no attempt to hold back. Unlike his three older brothers, the youngest turtle had no qualms with exposing his emotions.

Straightaway, Leo found himself wishing that Mikey would have practiced a little more self-restraint and a little less 'woe is me.' The enlarged, runny eyes and the whole long, mopey-face thing that Mikey had turned into an art form always had a way of manipulating Leo and making his resolve crumble. Mikey's mastery of sulking was the very epitome of facial extortion and he cashed in on it for all it was worth. Something about those beseeching and pitiable blue orbs of Mikey's could make even the strongest of wills cave under the pressure.

Immediately, Leo felt guilty for getting snippy with his baby brother.

 _Well-played, Mikey. Well-played._

"I'm not sure," Leo whispered into his shoulder, unable to make eye contact with any of his little brothers, stricken with a rapid onset of regret. He had failed them. Especially Donnie. Whenever any of them got hurt or sick, it was Donnie who was always there to make everything okay, pouring over them like a neurotic mother. Now, it was Donnie who was hurt and none of them had a clue how to help him.

Mikey only whimpered at Leo's ambiguous response, which brought Leo's remorse to all new heights. As the oldest brother, Leo felt obligated to present words of comfort to his upset sibling, but he was wrestling with the right thing to say. What he did say only managed to make things worse.

This just wasn't his night . . .

"Donnie told me that he had taken a couple of aspirin to knock down his fever," Leo stated with little volume, staring down at the small rivulets of sweat trickling down his second youngest brother's shivering body, indicating that the fever had not subsided.

Leo should have known that his genius brother had downplayed his condition so as not to worry anyone. He should have known better than to believe that a few aspirin would fix what was wrong with Donnie. He should have trusted his instincts rather than trusting his little brother, who had a long history of hiding ailments and wounds from them.

"Well, they didn't. He's – " Raph stopped himself midsentence when his overwrought brain finally finished processing what Leo had just sad. "Wait! You knew he had a fever?" Raph asked incredulously.

"Yeah . . . I – I noticed it right before he left the lair, but Donnie insisted it was nothing. You know how he is. He told me that it was just a side effect from the electroshocks he received," Leo answered, now taking his turn at trying to downplay things, but he wasn't nearly as well-seasoned at it as Donnie was. Thus, Raph's choleric comment that followed.

"So you let him leave the lair knowing that he had a high fever?" Raph seethed, petting Donnie's scorching-hot forehead as if trying to soothe his ailing little brother while he chewed out the oldest one.

Leo was about to point out that Donnie's fever hadn't been this high when he had left, but the oldest turtle thought better of it. Such a statement probably would have just dug the hole that Leo was shoveling out even deeper. The fact of the matter remained, Leo had let Donnie leave the lair knowing that there was something wrong with him. Because of Leo's carelessness, Donnie had gotten injured and whatever illness that he was suffering from had gotten worse.

"Yes," was all that Leo offered up as a response, not seeing a need to provide any further information. It was pretty obvious that he had royally screwed things up. He really didn't need to spell it out. Raph and Mikey had already figured it out for themselves.

"You selfish jerk!" Raph snarled, giving Leo the dirtiest look imaginable. If it was possible for a facial expression to be considered an actual act of physical violence, Raph had just achieved it. In all honesty, it was taking all of Raph's self-control not to get up and beat the shell off of Leo. The only reason that he didn't was because he didn't want to risk hurting Donnie in the crossfire.

Although Leo wholeheartedly agreed with what Raph had just called him, for some reason, hearing his hotheaded brother orally accuse him of being the selfish one bent him out of shape. He didn't think that Raph had earned the right to be passing judgment on anyone.

"Oh, I'm a selfish jerk? Who intentionally put Donnie's life in danger over and over again by disregarding Rahzar's threats to hurt him? Were you _trying_ to get him killed?" Leo snarled back, shaking his head in disgust as one of his hands stretched forward and protectively wrapped around Donnie's bruised upper arm.

"I was _trying_ to stop Rahzar from taking him! He was going to run with Donnie! I couldn't just stand by and let him take our little brother away . . . not like you did," Raph hissed, pulling his hand away from Donnie's head so he didn't inadvertently hurt his little brother due to his increasing anger. Like Leo, Raph was trying to protect his injured brother from getting hurt any further.

"No, instead you told Rahzar that Donnie was useless so he thought that he was expendable. You're the reason Rahzar attacked him!" Leonardo shot back, lowering his eye ridges and narrowing his blue eyes into indignant slits. Leo's face was so contorted and creased from the scowl that he was making, it looked as though he had just sucked on the world's sourest lemon.

If Raph wasn't so immersed in his anger, he probably would have harassed Leo for making such a dopey-looking face. As it turned out, rather than feeling a need to poke fun at Leo, Raph wanted nothing more than to wipe the expression off of his self-righteous older brother's face, and then, maybe mop the floor with him.

While Leo and Raph continued to square off in a battle of blame, Mikey noticed that Donnie's condition was getting worse. The genius turtle was shivering so bad, his teeth were starting to chatter, and, even in the sparse lighting of the warehouse, Mikey could see that the color of Donnie's skin was all wrong.

"Guys!" Mikey snorted while he squeezed Donnie's hand tighter, trying to let his brainy big brother know that he was there. Mikey wished so much that there was something that he could do to make Donnie feel better, just like his big brother always found a way to make him feel better when he was sick or hurt.

In the meantime, the war between the two oldest brothers raged on, neither one of them having heard Mikey's attempt to disrupt them.

"Well, Donnie wouldn't have gotten captured if it wasn't for you! None of this would have happened if you wouldn't have treated him like he wasn't important! This is all your fault!" Raph growled and he shook a reproving finger at Leonardo.

"Yeah? Well, at least I didn't flat-out tell him he wasn't smart enough," Leo countered, fully aware that it wasn't the best comeback ever, but it had sufficed. Leo could see Raph wince in response.

"Dudes! What is wrong with you? Donnie's unconscious, and, instead of helping him, you're sitting there arguing over whose fault it is! Can't this wait until we get Donnie back to the lair?" Mikey asked, and, in a strange turn of events, the youngest turtle provided the voice of reason.

Listening to Mikey play the part of the sensible and logical brother made Leo realize just how horribly awry this whole catastrophic night had gone. It also made him realize what a bad brother he had been. Not just to Donnie, but to all of his siblings. What Raph had said was true. It was Leo's fault that the entire chain of horrible events of the evening had come to pass.

"You're absolutely right, Mikey," Leo said, using an unlikely union of words while addressing the youngest turtle. It wasn't that Mikey messed _everything_ up, but sometimes, it did feel like botching things up was sort of Mikey's calling. Mikey was drawn to mistakes like a moth was to a flame. Therefore, it wasn't very often that the words "Mikey" and "right" found their way into the same sentence.

"Let's get Donnie back to the lair. Sensei will know what to do," Leo said in not much more than a whisper, and, again, guilt burned inside of him like a highly corrosive acid for not knowing how to help the very brother that had helped them all more times than Leo could keep count of. Much to Leo's dismay, what Donnie needed to fix this was Donnie.

And then, as if he was reading Leo's mind, Donnie's eyes started to twitch . . .

* * *

 _ **To be continued . . .**_


	8. Chapter 8 - A Churn for the Worse

_***Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.**_

 ** _*Author's Note: Here's chapter 8 of 'You're Needed Here Now, Donnie.' Thank you all so much for the positive reviews and for 'favoriting' and following me and my stories. It means so much to me. If you like my story, please let me know. I appreciate the feedback. I really hope you enjoy this chapter._**

 ** _CJ_**

* * *

 **Chapter 8 – A Churn for the Worse**

Seeing Donnie's eyelids fluttering made Leonardo's heart instantly begin to palpitate in an erratic rhythm and he thought his heart might stop altogether at the sight of his injured brother coming to. It was indisputably the best thing that had happened all night.

Without any regard for his two other brothers' whereabouts or what they were doing at the time, Leo leaned down and gently lifted Donnie up. He slipped his arm behind the genius's neck to cradle him in a semi-upright position, supporting Donnie's head with the inside of his elbow the way one would when holding an infant.

Donnie let out a small groan in objection to the movement that almost sounded like the kind of groan that one would make when the alarm clock went off earlier than their liking.

"Donnie," Leo said, quiet enough so as not to startle Donnie, but loud enough to help navigate his brother out of the stupor that he was in. Leo repeated his little brother's name for good measure, and then, Leo, Raph, and Mikey waited with baited breath for Donnie to react.

After a bit more fluttering, Donnie's eyelids finally parted ways and his eyes rolled around in their sockets like they were a pair of pinballs, unable to focus on anything in particular. He started making a series of nonsensical babbling and cooing noises that sounded like he was gargling his tongue while trying to moan something along the line of "ooh-ow-eh-awuh-ooh-ow-eh-awuh." The last time Leo had heard Donnie gibbering like that was not long after Mikey had spilled some of the Brain Worm serum on Donnie's hand, which had caused the genius to gradually lose his intelligence for reasons still unknown. Leo prayed that Donnie wasn't having a relapse of the degenerative brain condition the serum had triggered, because he didn't think that he could take watching his brilliant little brother lose his smarts again. It was hard enough to live through it the first time. They had been very fortunate that Mikey was able to concoct Donnie an antidote, using his "phonographic memory," as Mikey had put it. As much as Leo loved his baby brother, somehow, he couldn't bring himself to believe that Mikey could successfully prepare the cure a second time. After all, Leo still couldn't believe that Mikey had managed to do it the first time . . .

Leo continued to nervously peer down at his second youngest brother. Finally, Donnie's reddish-brown eyes settled on him. Donnie's jabbering ceased and he blearily gaped up at the turtle hovering over him, blinking repeatedly as though he didn't trust his own eyesight.

"L – Leo?" Came Donnie's croaky-sounding voice.

It was impossible to ignore how fragile Donnie sounded and even more impossible not to be riddled with concern over it, but at least he was conscious. They all had that to be thankful for.

"Hey, Donnie," Leo chirped elatedly, his voice cracking of its own accord, but he didn't mind at all. He gazed down at his little brother with the warmest of smiles on his face, vaguely aware that he had started to rock Donnie back and forth.

"H – hey," Donnie raggedly exhaled and barely any sound came out. He then tried to shape his lips into a reciprocating smile, but the final product was watery at best and bore only a miniscule semblance of an actual smile. It still managed to make all three of his brothers' hearts melt.

"It's about time you woke up, little brother," Raph said from over Leo's shoulder, trying and failing to sound unruffled by what had happened. His brothers recognized the relief in the second oldest turtle's tone and they saw a faint grin creep across Raph's normally stern features. It was almost . . . sweet.

As Mikey had said earlier, deep down, Raph really was a big old softie. Especially when it came to his brothers.

"Hey, D! You had me pretty scared me there for a minute, bro. How are you feeling?" Mikey eagerly asked, leaning in closer to Donnie, nearly bumping into Leo's forehead in the process. Upon realizing how dangerously close he had just come to head-butting his oldest brother, Mikey backed a few inches away from Donnie's face. He then cupped his hand over the back of his neck, letting out an embarrassed little chuckle. His cheeks flushed with a rich scarlet hue that was mercifully shrouded by the darkness they were surrounded with.

After recovering from his brief embarrassment, Mikey's focus ventured back onto his unwell brother.

Donnie's eyes were only open a sliver and he looked to still be formulating his response to Mikey's inquiry, which seemed a little strange to Mikey. He didn't think the question that he had asked had been all that tough.

After almost a full minute had passed, Donnie finally answered.

"Mmm – head," Donnie mumbled in such a frail voice, it made Mikey want to bawl his eyes out, but he somehow held onto his composure. At least for now.

"H – hurts," Donnie whimpered, grimacing as he said the word his brothers didn't want to hear. None of them could stand the affirmation that Donnie was in pain.

"We know, Donnie," Leo said with so much sympathy it must have literally hurt him to pull off such an emotional feat. He then placed his idle hand on the side of Donnie's face and tenderly stroked his brother's feverish cheek with his thumb, trying to ease Donnie's pain.

Donnie leaned into Leo's touch, but whether he did so out of affection or the fact that he was having a tough time holding his head up, Leo was not sure.

"You hit your head against the wall and it knocked you out. What should we do to help you?" Leo hated to ask his ailing brother for medical advice on how to treat him, but what choice did he have? Donnie was the brother with the medical knowhow, not Leo, Raph, or Mikey. Granted, all four brothers knew some basic first aid, but if injuries required more than a bandage or two, an ice pack, or a simple pat on the back, Donnie was the one they turned to. They had come to pretty much rely solely on Donnie to patch everyone up and make things better. So, that begged the question, who was supposed to fix Donnie when there was something wrong with him? None of them had ever thought that far ahead to create a contingency plan for if the genius ever got seriously wounded or sick. Not even Doctor Donnie.

Leo mentally kicked himself. Fortunately, their lack of foresight had never come back to bite them in the shell. Sure, Donnie had gotten sick or hurt plenty of times over the years, but, the majority of those times, he had been coherent enough to treat himself or walk his brothers through what to do. On those few occasions where Donnie hadn't been coherent enough, Master Splinter had thankfully been there to take care of Donnie. Like that winter when Donnie had come down with a nasty case of pneumonia and was bedridden for over two weeks. If not for Splinter, they might have lost Donnie.

A shudder ran through Leo at the thought of losing Donnie, and suddenly, his lungs felt as though they were going to explode like a supernova. It terrified Leo half out of his mind that they had come so alarmingly close to losing Donnie not just once but several times in one night. What made things even harder for Leo to bear was that it was all his fault. The helplessness that he was feeling inside was almost too much to take. Without Master Splinter or Donnie's knowledge there to guide them, they could have lost their brother. Leo, Raph, and Mikey had no idea what to do when Donnie had needed them the most, and, in Leo's eyes, that ignorance was unforgivable.

Once again, Leo internally kicked himself. Why had he not recognized the danger that they had been putting Donnie in before? How many times had they risked Donnie's life by letting him enter a fight without having someone capable of treating him if he were to ever get seriously injured? Dozens? Maybe hundreds?

Thus far, they had gotten lucky that their genius brother had never been seriously hurt, but luck – be it good or bad – can only last for so long. Leo should never have compromised Donatello's safety for so long. Leo had already failed Donnie far too many times than he cared to think about. He had no intention of failing his brainy brother again. As soon as they got back to the lair, Leo was going to figure out a way to better protect Donnie the same way that Donnie always figured out a way to protect all of them.

Donnie's hoarse voice brought Leo down from his inner soapbox.

"Wh – what?" Donnie rasped and the look on his face was that of bewilderment, as if he didn't have a clue what was going on.

This did not go unnoticed by Leo. "You hit your head, remember? You were unconscious," Leo reminded Donnie.

"Con . . . c – cussed?" Donnie asked in an unsure voice.

It took Leo a moment to figure out what Donnie had said on account of the lengthy pause between syllables, but no one seemed to notice Leo's slight delay in response while he pieced the word together. "Yeah, we're guessing you have a concussion. What should we do for that?" Again, Leo asked for direction from his injured brother and he felt no less ashamed than the first time.

"Not much . . . c – can do . . . Keep 'wake . . . in case . . . " Donnie stumbled over the words, taking more breaths than seemed necessary. It sounded like he had just run a marathon in record time.

The stammered, choppy answers that Donnie kept giving didn't sit well with Leo. On any normal day, Donnie was a regular wordsmith, to the point that the brainy turtle was sometimes borderline obsessive about proper vocabulary usage. Donnie oftentimes chastised his three brothers about their improper execution of the English language, constantly calling them out on not being grammatically sound. Yet, here he was, speaking in broken, sloppy sentences and inarticulate words that were more befitting of Mikey or Casey than of the most intellectual brother. It didn't sound like Donnie at all.

Like Leo wasn't already worried enough . . .

And then, there was the unsettling fact that Donnie was still completely limp in the crook of Leo's arm, relying on his oldest brother's strength alone to hold him up, which told Leo that there was still something very, very wrong with his little brother. Donnie wasn't even making an attempt to get up.

"In case what?" Raph asked bluntly, not even trying to mask his concern this time. He didn't like the sound of the way that Donnie had said 'in case.'

"C – c – cold," Donnie stuttered and the chattering of his teeth grew louder.

Non sequitur and Donnie were two things that normally did not go together. Again, Leo was plagued with worry.

"What?" Raph grunted, apparently not satisfied with Donnie's reply.

"He's cold, Raph! Can't you see he's shaking like a leaf?" Mikey barked with much more bite than any of them could have predicted, talking to Raph as though he was some kind of an idiot. The implication that Raph was an idiot left Mikey skating on some mighty thin ice. Raph had beaten the shell out of people for far less of an offense.

Mikey steepled his forefingers in front of him and smiled anxiously, withdrawing into his shell slightly as he spoke. "Uh, my bad . . . Of course you see that."

Raph's face seemed to be stuck in an eternal scowl and his insidious eyes zeroed in on Mikey so as to frighten his youngest brother into shutting up.

"Cut it out, you two," Leo moaned in his 'I'm the leader so you have to do what I say' tone that they all had grown to hate. Raph especially. Astoundingly, Raph and Mikey actually obeyed him. Well, at least for a little while, but it was a welcome reprieve from their conventional insubordination.

With his two unruly brothers temporarily silenced, Leo could focus his attention on Donnie again. "There's an emergency blanket in the Shellraiser, Donnie," Leo assured his younger brother and he instantly grimaced over what he had just said. Of course Donnie knew that there was an emergency blanket in the Shellraiser. He was the one who had put it there for – as the name indicated – emergencies.

Leonardo waited for Donnie to spit out a well-deserved "duh," but it never came. What Donnie did say was much more heartbreaking. Leo would have gladly taken the hit to the ego that a "duh" would have brought on over what came out of Donnie's mouth next.

"Hmm . . . L – Leo," Donnie mumbled and he looked up at Leo as though he was seeing him for the first time since waking up. "My heh – head . . . it h – hurts."

Leo and Raph exchanged wary glances while Mikey came unglued.

"Oh man! Dude! I'm freakin' out! Donnie, you already said – " Michelangelo wasn't allowed to finish his statement, for a swat to the back of the head by virtue of Raph stopped him cold. "Ow!" Mikey wailed, delicately rubbing the back of his smooth, hairless, green scalp.

"Yeah . . . we know, Donnie. That's 'cause that bonehead, Rahzar, threw you into a wall. Wait'll I get my hands on that no good, dirty – " Raph thundered, but Leo was quick to cut him off before his language crossed over the PG-13 barrier into the R-rating. Goody-three-toes Leo had never approved of the usage of foul language. That was due in small part to Leo thinking that cussing was disrespectful and inappropriate, but in larger part, to the fact that Master Splinter did not condone the use of profanity because it was disrespectful and inappropriate.

Sometimes, Raph swore that Leo didn't have an original thought in his head. He just sponged off of all of the teachings and ideas that Splinter had planted there.

"Thank you, Raph, for that very . . . _helpful_ information. I'm sure Donnie appreciates your . . . eh . . . commitment to his well-being," Leo noted, struggling a bit to find the right words.

"Happy to help," Raph scoffed, crossing his arms over his plastron arrogantly.

Leo was about to make a snide comeback when he felt Donnie somehow getting even heavier in his grasp.

"Donnie? Are you okay?" Leo asked in a tone that was soaked with distress and the lines on his face deepened into a frown. This got Raph and Mikey worked up as well.

"Huh? . . . Mmm . . . Jus' tired," Donnie breathed out and his eyes fell shut, demanding the rest.

"Hey! I know you're tired, Donnie, but you've got to keep your eyes open, okay?" Leo instructed softly, yet firmly, while he nudged a knuckle under Donnie's chin a few times.

"'Kay," Donnie sighed and he batted his eyelids to oblige Leo, but the wounded turtle was clearly struggling to keep his heavy lids apart. When he did manage to pry them partially open, he wearily peered up at his oldest brother, moving only his eyes, not his head. "Leo?" Donnie breathed out and the "L" in Leo's name was almost undetectable so it came off sounding more like "ee-oh."

Leo would have found it adorable if he wasn't so incredibly stressed out.

"Yeah, Donnie?"

"P – please . . . don't be . . . m – mad . . . at me," Donnie said and his voice sounded as though he was suddenly about ten years younger, it was so innocent and tender.

Leo choked back a sob that seemed adamant on coming out and all he could manage to squeak forth was Donnie's name.

"Didn't . . . didn't get . . . bike b – back. C – couldn't s – save . . . Karai. Got – "

Leo stopped his genius brother in the midst of listing off his perceived wrongdoings, unable to take any more of his little brother's lament.

"Shh, shh, shh, Donnie. It's okay. None of that matters right now. Right now, all that matters is getting you better," Leo said soothingly as he petted the top of Donnie's feverish head.

"N – no . . . you . . . Rrrraph . . . mad . . . b – bike . . . " Donnie whined disjointedly.

"No one's mad at you, Donnie. We got the bike back . . . Not that any of us cared about the dumb bike. All we cared about was finding you," Raph said gruffly, yet somehow thoughtfully at the same time. Normally, after saying something so nicey-nicey, Raph would have reached out and given his brother a teasing noogie on the head, but he didn't think that that would be such a good idea with Donnie suffering from a possible brain injury and all.

"S – sorry . . . I – " Donnie began to atone, but Raph wasn't having any of it and he stopped him short.

"There's no need to apologize, Donnie, 'cause you don't have anything to be sorry for," Raph said in a way that told Donnie not to argue with him.

Perhaps Leonardo was reading too much into it, but the blue-banded turtle could have sworn that Raph's tone had somehow alluded that it was he and Leo who should be the ones apologizing rather than Donnie. To pull off that kind of embedded suggestion would be quite an impressive achievement for someone as emotionally constipated as Raphael. Of course, it could have just as soon been Leo's guilty conscience playing tricks on him, making him hear things that weren't even there. That was a much more logical explanation than the one that involved Raph developing the ability to generate subliminal messages. Either way, Leo didn't inquire about the matter, figuring there would be plenty of time for overdue apologies once they got Donnie back to the lair.

"We're going to take you home now, Donnie, but you have to promise me you'll stay awake," Leo said, motioning to his two uninjured brothers that it was time to leave and that he needed their help.

Raph had always been the strongest brother of the four, so whenever someone needed to be carried – other than Raph himself – it was naturally assumed that he would be the one doing the carrying. It was sort of an unspoken rule, but Raph still felt compelled to warn Donnie of his intentions nonetheless since his little brother seemed like he was kind of out of it.

Crouching down next to Donnie, who was still being propped into a reclined position by Leo's bent arm, Raph gently rested his hands on Donnie's shoulders as best he could without interfering with Leo's hold on him.

"I'm gonna carry you on my back, Donnie boy. Just like I used to do when we were little, okay?" Raph said with a slight smirk that soon transformed into a warm smile that he rarely employed. He only reserved that smile for those times when his brothers were really hurt or scared.

Donnie gazed up at Raph with his half-mast eyes and slurred something that Raph assumed was his consent. Trying to ignore his growing apprehension, Raph nodded at Donnie, and then, turned so that his shell was facing his brainy brother. With Raph in position, Mikey got on the opposite side of Donnie that Leo was on and helped Leo carefully position their wounded brother over Raph's carapace, draping Donnie's long arms over Raph's sinewy shoulders. Raph took hold of Donnie's forearms like they were the straps of a heavy backpack, essentially fastening his brother into place. Donnie let out a humming sound and immediately nestled his head against Raph's neck, not just for comfort, but also because he was too exhausted to lift his head up any longer. The coolness of Raph's flesh felt soothing against Donnie's sweltering skin.

Once Leo felt that Donnie was satisfactorily secured to Raph, he and Mikey each grabbed onto the bottom of Raph's shell and helped the red-banded turtle rise to his feet. Although they had lifted Raph and Donnie with extreme caution, Donnie still let out a sharp cry.

"What's wrong, Donnie?" Leo asked, clearly rattled by his brother's cry.

"Ankle . . . h – hurts," Donnie sniveled into Raph's neck.

Leo's eyes widened and he squatted down behind Raph to inspect the damage. Even in the dark, Leo could see that the ankle that Rahzar had yanked on was all puffed-up and as purple as Donnie's mask.

Leo cringed as he stared at the injury.

"How's it look back there, Fearless?" Raph asked, giving Donnie's arm an extra little squeeze for moral support.

' _Not good_ ,' was the first response that popped into Leo's head, but he chose to tone it down a notch for Mikey's sake. "I think it's just a sprain, but we better splint it . . . just to be safe. Let's put – "

"I'm on it!" Mikey exclaimed, not even waiting for Leo to finish his instructions. Mikey dashed over to a nearby wooden chair and effectively demolished the piece of furniture with a few well-placed stomps. He bent down and retrieved the two longest, straightest pieces of wood he could find in the ruins of the former seat. Then, with lightning fast speed, he handed the two hunks of wood over to Leo.

"That's not exactly what I had in mind," Leo uttered as he stared at the sad remains of the chair that Mikey had just flattened. Leo was actually going to suggest that they use Mikey's nunchuks to make a splint, but there was really no point in doing so now. Mikey had already murdered that perfectly innocent chair, rendering Leo's suggestion moot. "But this will do. Thanks, Mikey," Leo said in feigned appreciation.

For some reason, Leo felt inclined to pat Mikey on the head and give him a treat for his good deed. Leo assumed this inclination stemmed from Mikey having just fetched him a couple of sticks. Leo decided to reward his baby brother with a grin instead of treating him like an obedient dog.

"How are you doing, Raph? Should we set Donnie down?" Leo asked, looking up at his immediate younger brother who still had his second youngest brother dangling behind him. Donnie's feet were just about dragging on the floor due to the height difference between he and Raph.

"I'm fine. That is unless you two plan on playing pick-up sticks for another couple of hours," Raph grumbled over his shoulder that Donnie's head wasn't resting on. He then let out a sigh that he hoped no one would notice.

Unbeknownst to his brothers, Raph was fighting like mad to tune out the painful memories this situation was drudging up for him. The last time he had carried one of his brothers on his back like this, it had been Leo, just after the Shredder and his goons had taken their turns whacking his older brother like a piñata. Those monsters had just about killed him. Leo was in a coma for three months after the savage beating he had taken and it had been the worst three months of Raph's life. They had nearly lost Leo because of it. Unbeknownst to Leo, they had nearly lost Donnie as well . . .

These were memories Raph would give anything to erase, for they were much too awful to relive. He couldn't bear the thought of going through that again. He just couldn't. Pressing his eyes closed to hide his sorrow, Raph forced himself to push those unwanted thoughts and feelings as far away as possible and pretend that they didn't exist.

Raph subconsciously tightened his grasp around Donnie's arms, more out of selfish needs than necessity, just wanting to validate that Donnie was still with him.

"How about you, Donnie? You doing all right?" Raph asked, clearing his throat in between questions.

Donnie only moaned in response.

"Hey, Donnie! You have to stay awake, little brother. I don't want you drooling on me," Raph said, trying to sound like his usual irritable self, but they could all hear the concern in his voice.

Sensing Raph's worry, Leo and Mikey quickly got to work on treating Donnie's ankle. They began by removing the wraps around their hands and wrists so that they could use them to secure the splint in place.

As soon as Leo brushed up against Donnie's ankle, Donnie hissed and reflexively tried to pull away.

Again, Leo cringed, feeling terrible for causing his brother additional discomfort.

"Sorry, Donnie, but we have to splint your ankle. I probably don't need to tell you that this is going to hurt," Leo said, biting his bottom lip. "Raph, do you think you could hike Donnie up a little higher for us?" Leo asked as he got the makeshift splint ready for application.

"Sure thing, Chief," Raph said, heaving his scrawniest brother a little bit further up on his shell.

Regrettably, Donnie then did some heaving of his own . . .

Whether it was from his illness, the sudden jarring movement, the added pressure to his abdominal area, or the intense pain from Leo holding onto his injured ankle, Donnie would never know, but without any warning, his stomach that had been threatening to erupt all night long finally made good on that threat.

They all heard the unmistakable sound of retching, but they couldn't react fast enough. Too weak stop himself or turn his head to redirect the discharge away from his older brother, Donnie released the contents of his stomach down the front of Raph's plastron, for all to see and smell.

"Are you kidding me?" Raph shouted in a spontaneous burst of anger that took him all of two seconds to feel bad about when he heard the sound of Donnie whimpering.

"Aw, I'm sorry, bro. It's okay. You couldn't help it," Raph said softly, hoping that Donnie could hear him in his current debilitated condition.

Having always been a bit of a sympathetic puker, Raph tried not to gag as the smell of vomit invaded his nostrils and seemingly went straight to his taste buds. He wrinkled up his face, now thoroughly grossed out by the stench and the nauseating taste in his mouth. And he lived in the sewers . . .

His other two brothers that weren't covered in Donnie's barf were doing their best to stifle their own gags and their laughter as they put the finishing touches on the splint they had fashioned.

Leo and Mikey felt horrible for their sick brother, but, on other hand, as twisted as it was, they found personal amusement in Raph's plight. They felt that it couldn't have happened to a more deserving turtle.

In the meantime, Donnie's stomach continued purge itself, but it was nothing more than dry heaves at this point. There wasn't anything left to expel. As Donnie continued to suffer, Mikey and Leo stood up and rubbed their genius brother's carapace consolingly until his stomach stopped convulsing and his body quit jerking.

When the worst of it was over, Donnie submerged his face into the crook of Raph's neck and began to make a strange mewling noise.

Leo and Mikey came around to the front of Raph and both of them flinched at the disgusting sight of their hothead brother. The smell was even worse.

"You okay, D?" Mikey asked as though he felt just as terrible as Donnie, which they all knew wasn't true.

"He just hurled all over the place! Does that sound like he's okay to you, Mikey?" Raph howled, sparing Donnie from having to waste energy responding to such a stupid question. Of course Donnie wasn't okay!

The not-so friendly tone in Raph's voice made Mikey recoil in fear. Leo would have scolded Raph for being so mean, but, in this instance, he figured it was warranted. It really was a stupid question.

"Uh . . . maybe we should . . . uh . . . we could find a – " Leo began, tripping over the words that wouldn't come. He was trying to no avail to be helpful, but aside from a shower, Leo really could not think of any other viable solutions to the situation at hand. Luckily, Raph was inconsiderate enough – or in this case considerate enough – to butt in, so Leo didn't have to come up with a way to solve to Raph's . . . problem.

"A what, Leo? A pack of napkins? Or maybe a turtle wipe?" Raph snapped, making his impatience known.

Out of the blue, Mikey perked up and his eyes lit up like a White House Christmas tree on the twenty-fourth of December. Raph knew that look all too well and he was definitely not in the mood for one of Mikey's harebrained ideas, so he decided to nip it in the bud.

"Can it, Mikey! Or, so help me, I'll use your face to clean myself up!" Raph roared, half-tempted to slap Mikey with one or both of Donnie's arms draped in front of him, but Raph knew that old 'Lame-o-nardo' would have a cow if he used Donnie as a weapon.

Mikey opened his mouth to speak, but changed his mind when he saw the pointed scowl on Raph's face that he knew was meant for him. That scowl made the youngest brother take a few nervous steps backwards, just in case Raph got any ideas about smacking him.

"Guys, Donnie's fever is getting worse and we're running out of daylight. We need to get Donnie back to the lair," Leo said in his no-nonsense way, thinking they had squandered too much time already.

"Sounds good to me," Raph said, starting towards the stairway. He didn't need to be told twice that it was time to go. The sooner they got home, the sooner he could hose himself off.

The three healthy turtles made their way down to the main floor of the factory and started towards the door that they had entered through. Leo stopped his brothers just before they got to the back of the building so that he could impart his orders. As Raph had always pointed out, Leo could never resist telling them what to do. It was his calling. His passion . . .

"Okay, Mikey and I will take the lead. Raph, you keep Donnie out of sight until we give you the signal that the coast is clear. All right?" Leo said, switching to his full on leader mode that, more often than not, managed to get on Raph's last nerve. Of course, it didn't take a whole lot to get on Raph's nerves . . .

"You don't actually think Rahzar is still out there? I'm willing to bet that scumbag went running all the way back to Shredder's lair with his tail between his legs," Raph quipped, still pleased with the mental picture of Rahzar retreating like a scared little girl. It was an image that he would treasure for a very long time.

"I don't want to take any chances . . . do you?" Leo asked with a bit of a cutting edge as he motioned to the precious cargo hanging over Raph.

Although Leo didn't outright say the words 'haven't we screwed up enough for one night,' Raph knew that was precisely what Leo had meant. The connotation was crystal-clear. It didn't take a genius like Donnie to figure it out.

Raph mouthed the word 'no' and shifted his eyes away from Leo's stare. Raph wasn't even aware that he had tipped his head closer to Donnie's and had nuzzled his cheek against the side of Donnie's head. He couldn't see his little brother's face, but he could feel Donnie's breath against his neck and the heat emanating from the unwell turtle's skin. Donnie's skin was practically giving off as much heat as the oven-like trap Karai had locked Raph in earlier in the evening. The key difference was that they could disable Karai's trap before Raph had gotten baked. Donnie did not have that luxury. Raph shuddered at the thought.

On the bright side, at least Raph knew what to do for heat stroke and/or dehydration, thanks to Donnie's earlier ministrations. When they got back to the lair, Raph was going to give Donnie a bit of his own medicine and make his brainy brother guzzle down the same amount of water that he had forced Raph to drink before he had sent him off to bed. Raph could still hear Donnie saying, ' _Now, I want you take both of these tablets with this whole container of water. And I mean the whole container; not just part of it.'_

Raph thought about how Donnie had fretted and fussed over him when they had gotten back to lair after escaping Karai's traps. Always overly cautious, Donnie had insisted on examining Raph and treating what ailed him, but Raph hadn't exactly been the most cooperative of patients. In fact, Raph had intentionally been difficult when he knew that Donnie had just been trying to help him out. Raph had even gone so far as to call Donnie a 'nag' while his little brother had stood there and insisted that he drink every last drop of water that he had prescribed. Raph remembered being glad when Donnie had ordered him to go to bed, thrilled for the opportunity to get away from his younger brother because he was being a pest.

That seemed like so long ago now. So many things had happened since then. All of which Raph wished he could undo.

Leo's voice pulled Raph out of his bout of depression.

"Okay, Mikey . . . Let's go," Leo said, pointing ahead unnecessarily. They all knew perfectly well which way they were going since the door that led out of the building was smack dab in front of them, but Leo just had this compulsory need to gesticulate directions whether it was needed or not.

 _Perhaps Leo was a traffic cop in another life . . ._

Leo and Mikey stepped out into the night and were greeted by a gentle breeze and the soft luminosity of the first quarter moon accompanied by a host of stars. Leo looked to the east to spy that ominous clouds had begun to gather, no doubt carrying the precipitation that the weather forecast had promised, but there were still no indicators that sunrise was approaching. Leo was grateful for that, because he really didn't want to have to deal with trying to conceal their presence from humans on top of everything else.

Leo glanced at the various businesses lining the streets of Chinatown (Pocket Full of Rosies, Dim Sum & Then Sum, Kingfisher Antique Jewelry, Wish Wash Laundromat, the Chinatown Museum, etc.) They all seemed just as abandoned as the fortune cookie factory at night, despite the fact that they were not permanently closed down. Even Ziga's Auto Body was always dark during their nightly patrol and their advertisements claimed that they had twenty-four hour service.

There were no signs of humans, nor of Rahzar, which was a good sign.

Leo gazed up at the night sky again. He was not sure how much time had elapsed while they were inside of the factory, so he did not know what the actual time was, but he guessed it had to be getting close to dawn. That meant that in an hour or two, the streets of Chinatown would be chockfull of humans, hustling from destination to destination, going about their daily activities and rituals. That flurry of commotion was what forced Leo and his brothers into hiding during the day. Humans were not exactly tolerant of the existence of life-sized talking mutant turtles. Most of the time, they ran away screaming.

The oldest turtle brought his focus back down to street level again. He was currently ducked behind one of the three structural pillars standing in front of the fortune cookie factory, using the column to partially conceal himself from any potential onlookers. Mikey was squatting on the side of the factory with just his head poked around the corner of the building to scan the surrounding area. His freckled face was scrunched up in what Leo assumed was concentration. It was sometimes hard to tell what was going on in the vast space in between Mikey's ear slits. For all Leo knew, Mikey could have been making that face because he had to go to the bathroom or because he was making fun of him. Mikey had always been somewhat of an anomaly. There was no method to his madness.

Leo craned his neck to peek around the heavy column that he was standing next to. They had left the Shellraiser about a half block away, parking the vehicle just out of sight. Leo visually scoured the stretch of street that spanned the distance between them and the Shellraiser. The only motions Leo detected in his line of sight were a few lightweight pieces of litter drifting whimsically in the wind and a mangy-looking black and white cat, which he really hoped Mikey wouldn't notice. Leo didn't feel up to getting into yet another discussion with Mikey about why they can't possibly take in every stray cat they find wandering the streets of New York City.

Convinced that the area was secure, Leo sheathed his katana blades and stepped out from behind the shelter of the support post he had been hiding behind. He then waved for Raph to come out.

Presuming that meant that Leo had just given the all-clear signal, Mikey lumbered towards his oldest brother, dragging his feet the whole time. He let out an audible yawn as if in protest of the late/early hour.

"Dudes, when we get back to the lair, I'm so gonna crash until next Tuesday . . . Maybe Thursday," Mikey muttered sleepily, scratching the back of his head with both hands and emancipating an even bigger yawn, not even bothering to cover his wide-open mouth.

"Who says you're going back to your lair?" Came a foreboding voice they were all too familiar with.

In an instant, Mikey and Leo had drawn their weapons out in front of them and were searching for the owner of the voice. Raph would have gone for his sais if he wasn't afraid of dropping Donnie.

Leo spotted Rahzar on top of the Pocket Full of Rosies building just as the skeletal beast swung down from the rooftop, using the fire escape over the floral shop and the laundromat to aid in his descent. Rahzar stuck an impeccable landing on the street, and, as turtle luck would have it, the mutated dog/man was standing about halfway between the turtles and the Shellraiser, effectively obstructing their escape route.

 _Worst night ever . . ._

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 _ **To be continued . . .**_


	9. Chapter 9 - Taking It to the Street

_***Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.**_

 _ ***Author's Notes: Chapter 9 is here and Rahzar's back! So is the Donnie angst! Hope you like it!**_

 _ **As always, thanks to everyone for taking the time to read and review this story. I am so grateful for the positive response that I have received. Also, thank you so much to those who have 'favorited' and followed me and my stories so far. That truly means the world to me.  
**_

* * *

 **Chapter 9 – Taking It to the Street**

The tension hung in the air so thick it was tangible, making everything feel significantly heavier than it had only seconds before. It was like gravity itself had been cranked up a notch or two, or, to put it in 'Donnie terms,' it was as though the Earth's gravitational pull had accelerated by several metres per second squared.

Mikey stared at Rahzar's slender yet hulking form now poised in the middle of the street with his long claws splayed out at his sides, ready to strike. The youngest brother was reminded of a showdown scene from one of those old western movies. Well, except that there weren't any guns involved and not one of them was wearing a cowboy hat, spurs, or chaps. Then, there was the fact that they were in the east (coast that is), not the west. Still, there was enough similarity that Mikey was seriously fighting the undeniable urge to drawl the words 'this town ain't big enough for the five of us' or 'draw, partner.' Better yet! He could hum the theme song from that "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" movie that he had seen on some late-night western marathon a few weeks back. The guys hosting the marathon had referred to it as a classic 'spaghetti' western, but Mikey didn't remember any of the actors actually eating spaghetti at any point during the film. What he did remember was that the movie had a lot of epic face-off scenes much like the one that they were in right now. Mikey decided that this situation was totally like the modern-day version of that movie, with him being 'the good,' Rahzar being 'the bad,' and Raph being 'the ugly.'

 _Man, that movie was all kinds of awesome! I bet I'd look super cool sporting a cowboy hat!_ Mikey thought to himself, trying not to let his excitement show. He was fairly certain that his older brothers would find his current line of thinking wholly inappropriate given the rather grim circumstances.

Rahzar was some twenty-five feet away and closing and he looked more tee'd off than usual. At least, Mikey thought he did. It was kind of difficult to actually read Rahzar's expression ever since his second mutation. In Chris Bradford's 'Rahzar' form, the majority of his face was comprised of wicked-looking teeth and bones. Mikey imagined even when the guy was happy, he still looked ticked.

 _Kind of like Raph . . ._

"I knew you were lying just to protect your brother! Your Sensei isn't coming to save you!" Rahzar snarled as he stalked towards the four turtles. "Which makes me wonder what else you were lying about . . . Like maybe how your brother can't make me human again." There was something morbidly sinister about the way that Rahzar had rolled out that last line and the way that he had been ogling at Donnie as he had said it.

From Raph's shoulder, Donnie let out a muffled moan and his brothers weren't sure if it was because of the sound of Rahzar's voice, because of what Rahzar had just said, or because he was in pain.

As Rahzar drew nearer, Leo and Mikey took battle stances in front of Raph and Donnie, preparing to shield the two of them from a potential attack. They knew that Raph wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight while holding onto Donnie, but apparently, that didn't concern Raph any, because he pushed right through Leo and Mikey's formation with Donnie in tow.

"I've got a bone to pick with you!" Raph fumed, but he didn't quite set the menacing atmosphere he had wanted to without the use of his hands or his weapons. His threat was a little hollow due to the fact that he was toting a nearly two-hundred pound turtle on his back.

"Ha! Good one, Raph! Wait! Wait! How about this? Don't get all hot under the collar, Rahzar! You're not the only one having a 'ruff' night." Mikey doubled over laughing at the funnies he had made, but his laughter soon faded when he realized that no one else had found it remotely amusing.

 _Tough crowd_ , Mikey thought as he straightened back up only to discover that his two oldest brothers were glaring at him with more hostility than Rahzar was.

Mikey's normally cheerful face curved down into a frown. Sometimes, his brothers had no appreciation for the fine art of a well-executed pun.

"'You done?" Raph grunted at Mikey.

"Yeah," Mikey sighed, clearly disappointed that he didn't get a chance to try out the rest of his standup comedy material. He still hadn't gotten to work in something about Rahzar 'hounding' them.

"Good, because now I'm going to make this smelly mongrel pay for hurting our brother!" Raph seethed, pulling his glare away from Mikey so that he could fix it on Rahzar.

Rahzar sneered back at Raph as he flexed and spread his claws wide, trying to goad the highly strung turtle into making an attack.

"That's gonna be kind of tough with your brother on your back now, isn't it? How about I take that weight off of your shoulders for you?" Rahzar proposed in a patronizing manner as he pointed a long claw towards Donnie.

If Raph wasn't enraged before, he was now.

"You aren't gonna touch him!" Raph hollered, giving Rahzar a lethal glare, but the red-clad turtle's homicidal appearance did nothing to dissuade the bigger mutant.

"I'll tell you what. I'll make you reptiles an offer you shouldn't refuse. You hand over your brother there and I'll let the rest of you walk away in one piece. _And_ , once your brother makes me human again, I promise I'll deliver him right back to you . . . unharmed," Rahzar rasped and his eyes fell upon Donnie again.

From seemingly out of nowhere, Donnie found the strength needed to lift his head up off of Raph's shoulder so he could see what was going on rather than just listening to the conversation taking place around him. The first thing he locked eyes on was Rahzar, who was staring right back at him, hungrily.

Even with all of Donnie's shivering, Raph could feel a definite shudder run through his little brother's body.

Giving Donnie's arms another reassuring squeeze, Raph flashed Donnie an intrepid expression that was meant to stop the genius turtle from worrying, but it was in Donnie's nature to worry. Especially when an immense, ravenous, evil mutant dog was set on taking you away from your family and making you his personal chew toy.

"Unharmed? You threw him into a wall!" Raph roared at Rahzar. The turtle in red suddenly felt even more protective of his injured little brother. Especially now that he knew Rahzar was still planning on taking Donnie away from them . . .

Raph could feel Donnie continue to shudder above him. Raph was now shaking as well, but not from fear or a fever like Donnie was. Raph was shaking with insane fury.

Donnie's other older brother was experiencing that same fury.

"After you choked him, slammed him into the floor, and then, tried to bust his ankle!" Leo added with even more rage than Raph, which was saying a lot. No one had expected to hear that kind of anger coming from level-headed Leo.

To Leo's left, Mikey was also demonstrating far more rage than expected, but he was unable to achieve quite the same caliber of anger that Leo or Raph had. Still, after hearing further details about what Rahzar had done to his peaceful big brother, Mikey was mad enough to let out a livid growl and his knuckles turned white from how rigidly he was holding onto his nunchuks.

Undeterred by the three now irate turtles, Rahzar kept his sights on the injured one and continued to gradually skulk towards the brothers, like a predator toying with its prey.

With eye ridges knit in a scowl, Leo held his katanas out in front of him, ready to fight off Rahzar at all cost. Leo came up beside Raph and softened his features for a moment in order to give Donnie a comforting expression. Still, Donnie couldn't stop himself from worrying. He didn't want to go with Rahzar, but he couldn't risk his brothers getting hurt on account of him.

 _Not again . . ._

Donnie was about to put a voice to his mounting concerns when a vile cackle ejected from Rahzar's throat. The gravelly sound echoed in the night air, making all four brothers cringe.

"Oh . . . right . . . Let me rephrase that. I promise I will deliver him to you without any _further_ harm," Rahzar said contemptuously, putting extra volume on the word 'further' as he spoke it. "What do you say? Have we got ourselves a deal, turtles?"

A callous smirk pulled across Rahzar's gaunt face as he awaited their obvious answer. He knew that they wouldn't take him up on his offer, because their loyalty made them stupid.

Even back when he was a human, he had observed the close-knit bond that the four terrapin brothers shared and he had always held the belief that their insufferable devotion to one another was a weakness that would someday be the end of them. He knew that there was no way they would forsake one of their own, but he wanted to hear their response nevertheless. If anything, it was for his own egotistical entertainment. Riling up the red one was far too easy and rather enjoyable. Rahzar was actually looking forward to hearing the most petulant turtle's reply, knowing that he had to be pushing him past his breaking point.

But it was not Raphael who replied, nor was it the response that Rahzar had anticipated.

"Yes," a clear voice rang out, causing all eyes to immediately focus on Donnie.

There was a shocked moment of silence before the same voice sounded again.

"If you swear . . . on your honor . . . that you . . . will not hurt . . . my brothers . . . I will go . . . with you," Donnie vowed, and though what he had said was quiet and he had to pause for breath multiple times in between words, it was more than loud enough for everyone standing there to hear. Still, most of them could not understand the message, but that was not for lack of volume or enunciation.

"What?" Was all that Leo and Mikey managed to choke out and they both looked at Donatello as though he had turned fluorescent pink and sprouted horns from his head. Mikey was so stunned by what he had just heard his brainy brother say, his jaw just about hit the ground.

Not the least bit surprisingly, Raph was a little more vocal about his thoughts on the matter.

"Are you insane? This creep just tried to crack your skull open and you think we're just gonna let him drag you off to Shredder's lair? You must have hit your head even harder than I thought!" Raph howled, getting up in Donnie's face, making his younger brother shrink away slightly. Of course, it was rather tough not to get up in Donnie's face since it had already been only inches away from Raph's face, even before he went into his tirade.

"This . . . This is . . . my choice. Put me . . . down, Raph. I . . . I won't let . . . you guys . . . get hurt . . . because of . . . me. Not again . . . " Donnie said in way too calm of a voice, considering what he was proposing.

Now, it was Leo's turn to chew Donnie out, although he went about it a little more tactfully than Raph had, but the sentiment he expressed was just as powerful. Leo was not about to let Donnie turn himself over to Rahzar just to save them. Leo would rather die than allow Donnie to fall into the hands of their enemies. Just like Raph, Leo felt it was his responsibility to always protect his younger siblings above anything else.

There was no way Leo was going to let Donnie go. Not as long as there was breath in his body.

"No! Absolutely out of the question, Donatello! You're not going anywhere with that monster and that's final!" Leo barked in that extra stern voice that he normally reserved for Raph. It was Leo's way of informing Donnie that he was not going to bend on the issue. Leo volleyed his gaze back and forth between Donnie and Rahzar, making sure to switch expressions accordingly. Stern and caring for Donnie and utter loathing for Rahzar. Leo just hoped he didn't get the two mixed up, because the last thing that he needed to do right now was give Donnie a loathing expression. That could psychologically hurt Donnie even worse than he already was. Plus, it could potentially give him and his self-deprecating tendencies all the more incentive to give himself up to Rahzar.

Leonardo glanced back at Rahzar and put on his loathing face once again. The heavy scutes of the eldest turtle's plastron felt as if they were shrinking and restricting around his chest, making the simple task of breathing a chore. The hostility he was feeling towards Shredder's underling was so overpowering, he was about to lose the collected confidence that he prided himself on upholding at all times.

Rahzar had temporarily stopped his forward momentum when the purple-banded turtle had agreed to accept his generous offer. He had been just as shocked as the rest of the turtles by their intelligent brother's submissive response, but the largest mutant of the five was now moving towards the turtles once again. He was only about fifteen feet away and looked to be raring to strike. The only reason he hadn't done so yet was because he wanted to see how the whole martyr thing would play out with the brothers.

"Why don't you let your brother decide for himself?" Rahzar interjected, earning him death glares from Donnie's three brothers.

"Why don't I just take you down, once and for all? Then, he won't have to decide!" Raph threatened and the seismic activity he produced from his outburst just about shook Donnie off of him.

"Guys . . . please, just – " Donnie tried to reason, but sometimes, there was no reasoning with his brothers.

"Forget it, Donnie! There's no way I'm letting you go with him! Not. Gonna. Happen. Ever!" Raph spoke sharply, and though he sounded angry, Donnie could see that his immediate older brother was only trying to protect him. That was what Raph did in the heat of battle. The hothead would stop at nothing to keep his brothers safe without any regard for his own safety.

"But – " Donnie tried again, but he was not going to win this argument.

"No, Donnie! You know our rule. No turtle left behind," Raph reminded Donnie, fully aware that his little brother was familiar with the rule. This was not the first time that Raph had had to remind his brainy brother of their solemn oath to one another, but yet, Donnie was once again trying to get them to leave him behind. For someone so smart, sometimes, Donnie could be really dense. Raph chalked it up to Leonardo's bad influence. Leo and his 'principles' were always willing to suffer for a cause, and now, it was rubbing off on Donnie. Of course, the main difference between the two brothers' acts of selflessness was that Leo did so because he saw his sacrifice as the honorable and noble thing to do. Donnie, on the other hand, was doing it because he saw himself as Ashigaru-sha or cannon fodder. Donnie was surrendering himself over to the enemy because he didn't think that he was worth saving. Sadly, self-esteem had never been one of Donatello's strong suits.

A ripple of guilt surged through Raph when he awkwardly looked over at his downcast younger brother, who was suddenly avoiding eye contact with all of his siblings. Raph couldn't help but to think that he had been a major contributor to Donnie's constant feelings of inadequacy. So many times, when Donnie was trying to explain something, or even just talk to them, Raph had responded by rolling his eyes or sighing, and then, telling the genius turtle 'not now,' 'yeah, yeah, yeah,' 'blah, blah, blah,' or 'shut up.' Instead of listening to what Donnie had to say, Raph, more often than not, would just blow him off like what he was trying to tell them wasn't important. All of those years of emotional abuse were bound to take their toll on Donnie's self-image. Then, to make matters worse, Raph had just gone and told Rahzar that Donnie was basically incompetent and worthless on the very same night that Leo had told the genius that he wasn't doing a good enough job. Now, here Donnie was, just giving up. Just like that . . . All because his older brothers had made him feel as though he was disposable.

Meanwhile, Leonardo was also mentally raking himself over the coals. He, too, was blaming himself for being a significant factor in making their brainy brother feel as though he lacked any sense of real value. All of those weeks of incessantly pushing Donnie and making him feel like he wasn't trying hard enough had led to _this_. It was all Leo's fault. If he wouldn't have been so cruel to Donnie, none of them would even be here.

While three out of the four brothers were busy feeling sorry for themselves, the least likely brother was the only one still paying attention to the enemy's advances.

"Uh, guys! Do you think you could argue about this later? Like maybe after my humongous, ex-friend Rahzar gets done trying to cream us? 'Cause that's what it looks like he's planning on doing," Mikey aptly pointed out as he motioned towards the creepy mutant moving even closer.

As if to illustrate Mikey's point, Rahzar quickened his pace. His glowing eyes were still fixated on Donnie as he approached the four brothers, claws leading the way.

Rahzar emitted another grating cackle before speaking in his low, rattly voice.

"To be honest, I'm glad you aren't going to actually take me up on my peace offering. I much prefer taking your brother by force. What do you say, Donatello? Are you ready for me to knock you out for the fourth time tonight, you pathetic little weakling?" Rahzar cruelly taunted, only adding to Donnie's self-esteem issues. Donnie looked away in shame, letting the unkind words fester under his shell like a flesh-eating bacteria. Tears threatened to form in his overcast eyes, but he refused to let them materialize and lend credence to what Rahzar had just said. Not that Donnie could really save a whole lot of face at this point. He was ninety-nine point nine percent certain that every one of them standing there already thought he was a pathetic weakling, even before Rahzar had said it.

And how could Donnie blame them for thinking that he was a hopeless loser, when all he ever did was screw up? If messing things up was an Olympic event, he'd be a forty-four-time gold medalist.

 _Still, there's no need to go further proving all of them right by breaking down and crying like a baby right in front of them. I think you've made a big enough fool of yourself for one night_ , _Donatello. It's best just to suck it up and internalize everything. You can emotionally shutdown later in private,_ Donnie convinced himself.

Unfortunately, simply shutting off his emotions was easier thought than done. The many hurtful things that Donnie had heard spoken to him this night were now ingrained in his head, boring deep into his psyche. Donnie could still hear Mikey telling him that his best sucked. He could still hear Leo telling him that he wasn't trying hard enough. He could still hear Raph telling Bradford how useless he was. And now, Bradford's degrading words were just the cherry on top of his lousy night.

 _They're right. I'm about as useful as a computer without an operating system,_ Donnie thought and his face fell in disappointment of himself.

Rahzar noticed this and did not miss the opportunity to further belittle the purple-clad turtle. "Oh, I'm sorry, Donatello. Did I hurt your feelings? Well, I've got news for you, turtle. That's not all I'm gonna hurt."

Leo glanced over at Donnie and could see the fear and discouragement coalescing in his little brother's big brown eyes that were now staring at the ground. The sight of Donnie so distressed made Leo's insides feel as though they had been turned into the consistency of warm gelatin. The big brother part of Leo wanted to wrap Donnie up in a soothing embrace and tell him how sorry he was for everything. He wanted to assure his younger brother that what Rahzar had said wasn't true, but the leader part of Leonardo told him that he had to stay vigilant and alert until they were out of danger. First and foremost, he had to get Donnie away from Rahzar. There was no way the turtle in blue was going to let Rahzar take his little brother away from them.

"You aren't going anywhere near our brother, Bradford! Raph, get Donnie out of here!" Leo commanded, stepping out in front of Raph and tightening his hands around the hilts of his weapons. Mikey did the same, not about to let Rahzar get his claws on Donnie.

"Leo," Raph said in an unsure voice.

It was obvious that Raph was torn on what to do. He couldn't stand the thought of leaving Leo and Mikey behind to contend with the bigger, stronger mutant, but, by the same token, Raph would never be able to live with himself if he let Rahzar get a hold of Donnie again. Sick and injured as Donnie was right now, he would not be capable of defending himself and Raph highly doubted that Rahzar would provide Donnie with the proper medical treatment he needed. He would just let Donnie get worse. And when the genius failed to make him human again, Rahzar would most likely present Donnie to his master like he was some kind of trophy. The thought of his docile little brother in the hands of Shredder was more than Raph could bear.

The choice was suddenly clear. Getting Donnie to safety took precedence over Raph's need to stay and fight. For once, Raph didn't need to be told twice, but Leo did so, nonetheless. It was a force of habit when dealing with his overly stubborn brother.

"Raph! Go!" Leo fired off the order just before he charged at Rahzar.

Seeing Leo lunge forward and rush towards Rahzar was the go-ahead that Mikey had been waiting for. In less than a split-second, the youngest turtle's nunchuks were spinning like they had a mind of their own. Always the most rambunctious of the brothers by far, Mikey made a series of goofy-sounding 'hoo-wah' noises before he raced forward to attack the werewolf-looking mutant from the opposite direction of Leo, intentionally creating a distraction for Raph to make his escape.

Even though he wanted nothing more than to stay and make Rahzar suffer for hurting Donnie, Raph wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to get Donnie away from the scene, running as fast as his feet would take him. He could hear Rahzar let out a bestial roar behind him, but he didn't look back, afraid that if he did, he might be tempted to change his mind about leaving Leo and Mikey behind.

Raph's top priority right now was to get Donnie to safety, but, even though his intentions were good, he was about to make a grievous error of judgment.

One that would keep Donnie anything but safe . . .

* * *

 _ **To be continued . . .**_

 _ **Author's note: If you are enjoying my story, please continue to favorite, follow, and/or review so I know you like it. I love the feedback! Thank you all so much! CJ**_


	10. Chapter 10 - Middle Brothers

_***Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.**_

 _ ***Author's Notes: Here's chapter 10 of 'You're Needed Here Now, Donnie' and it's an emotional one.**_

 _ **I would once again like to thank everyone who has taken the time to read and review this story, as well as my other stories. Also, thank you to everyone who has 'favorited' and followed me and my stories. Your kindness and support is very much appreciated. Please continue to favorite/follow/review my story if you are enjoying it so I know that you like it. I love the feedback.**_

 ** _*Additional Note: If you haven't already noticed, I started posting another story called 'Mikey's Worst Move Ever' (a big thanks to those of you who have already provided me with positive feedback on it). I just wanted to assure everyone following 'You're Needed Here Now, Donnie' that I will continue to post new chapters weekly. I promise that this other story will not interfere with 'YNHND' (thanks to my concerned followers who sent me PMs asking about that). For those of you interested in my new story (*insert shameless plug here ;D*), it is a short prequel to my upcoming story, 'Slash's Revenge.' Just so you know, the 'Mikey' story is a lighthearted one that leads right into the episode 'Slash and Destroy.' The 'Slash's Revenge' story takes place three weeks after 'Slash and Destroy' and this story will be much,_ _much_ _darker. It's pretty intense . . . especially for one brother in particular (*insert evil villain laugh here*)._**

 ** _Well, I digress . . . On with chapter 10. I'm really hoping that all of you like it! Please LMK. CJ_**

* * *

 **Chapter 10 – Middle Brothers**

"How are you doing, Donnie?" Raph asked, kneeling in front of his genius brother, who was currently sitting on the concrete floor where his brawny big brother had set him down just moments ago. Donnie's posture was poor, at best, with his shell slouched against the wall behind him and his head lolled back, like he was in a lazy chair. It was making Raph nervous, so he reached out and lightly ground his knuckles into his little brother's plastron, hoping that it might perk him up some. Donnie's eyelids were getting too droopy for Raph's liking. "Hey, eyes on me. Tell me . . . how many fingers am I holding up?"

Donnie lifted his head up and his eyes started rolling around, but Raph wasn't sure if it was because his little brother was about to pass out, or, if it was because he was irritated by the moronic question that Raph had just posed. If the red-clad turtle had to wager a bet on it, he would have guessed that Donnie was irritated. That was probably because Raph didn't want to think about the other alternative. He didn't know what he would do if Donnie passed out on him.

"Raph . . . you only . . . have three . . . fingers on . . . each hand. Even if . . . I'm seeing double . . . unless you . . . are holding up . . . one finger . . . simple math . . . tells me . . . how many. If I see . . . four . . . answer is two . . . " Donnie panted out, leaning even more heavily against the wall. Truthfully, the brick wall that his older brother had propped him up against was the only thing keeping Donnie somewhat upright.

"Just humor me, Genius. You owe me that much. Remember, you puked all over me," Raph said with sarcasm nipping at his every word. If the words didn't remind Donnie of the mess that he had made of his big brother's plastron earlier, the smell certainly should have.

"Two . . . " Donnie groaned and his exasperation was obvious, but the corners of his mouth still arched up into the ghost of a smile. Then, as quickly as the smile had registered, it was gone. "Raph . . . you should . . . leave me . . . Mikey . . . Leo . . . need you," Donnie gasped out, little by little.

"I'm not leaving you, Donnie! So you can stop wasting your breath," Raph said pigheadedly and he placed a hand on top of one of his little brother's shoulders, giving it a good squeeze. He grimaced over the heat that was exuding from Donnie's skin. He was sure that the genius's temp was still soaring to detrimental heights. The second oldest turtle tried his best to pretend he wasn't freaking out about it.

"Raph," Donnie wheezed.

"I mean it, Donnie. Leo and Mikey . . . they'll be fine. They can handle Rahzar themselves," Raph said, not sure who he was trying to convince more with that last statement – Donnie or himself.

"You always . . . were a . . . terrible . . . liar," Donnie muttered under his breath.

"Wh – what?" Raph coughed out, feeling as though the word 'what' had somehow gotten lodged in his throat. He couldn't believe what he had just heard come out of Donnie's mouth. His docile and bashful little brother had just had the audacity to call him a liar to his face. If the brainiac wasn't so injured, Raphael would have slapped him upside the head.

"You're lying . . . If you . . . weren't worried . . . you would have . . . carried me . . . to the . . . Shellraiser. Not back . . . inside of . . . the building . . . " Donnie sputtered forth as he listened to the distant sounds of the fight going on outside of the fortune cookie factory that Raph had hauled him inside of.

The astute observation on Donnie's part brought a crimson tint to Raph's face as the blood rushed to his cheeks. Luckily for him, the slight blushing was nicely toned down by the redness of his mask and the scant lighting inside of the factory. So much so, the most perceptive brother hadn't even noticed his big brother's change in color. However, there was still a knowing expression etched on Donnie's face, informing Raph that he may as well accept the inevitable and own up to the truth.

"Am I that predictable? Or are you that smart?" Raph asked, wincing over the realization that, even with a bad head injury, Donnie was still the most insightful of all of them.

"Yes," Donnie said with a devilish smirk that would have been more fitting if it would have come from Raph. Donnie then lifted his head up as high as he could so that he could look Raph straight in the eyes when he said, "Now . . . get out there . . . and help . . . our . . . brothers."

There were so many things that Raph should have said at that moment, but he did not.

So many things that he wished he would have done differently . . .

Keeping one hand on Donnie's shoulder, Raph extended his arm out and curled his other hand around the back of his little brother's neck. He then bent down so that their foreheads touched for only a moment, but that one moment was just enough.

It was no great secret that Hamato Raphael was not the best with words, nor was he the mushy, sentimental-type, but the simple, affectionate gesture from his hotheaded big brother meant more to Donatello than any spoken words ever could have.

Donnie peered up at Raph so sweetly that he pushed his normally undemonstrative older brother to the brink of tears. Raph could feel the first signs of moisture trying to well up in his eyes, causing him to tense up. He quickly tried to blink the wetness away, mortified by the display of weakness on his part.

Even if Raph would have been able to successfully conceal his tears from Donnie, which he hadn't, the genius would have still recognized Raph's expression for what it was. His brother was genuinely concerned about him. While Raph viewed this as weakness, Donnie saw it as perfect. Unfortunately, the genius turtle knew that the tender moment would not last for very much longer. He had already noticed that Raph had set his jaw and he could feel the muscles in his older brother's hands start to stiffen. These were sure-fire indicators that the temperamental turtle's mood was about to shift gears and take a turn for the worse. It was not uncommon for Raph to use sudden onsets of impatience or anger to cover up other emotions that might make him appear as though he was some kind of a wimp. The purple-banded turtle assumed that his ornery big brother was about to use his anger façade as a means to detract from the rare soft side that he had just unwittingly displayed, but, much to Donnie's surprise, Raph remained strangely placid and gentle.

 _Maybe he's not so predictable after all . . ._

Keeping a hand on Donnie's shoulder and the other one on his neck, Raph looked at his little brother with more compassion than the brainy turtle ever remembered seeing from his big brother.

"I will come back for you," Raph pledged and Donnie couldn't help but to grin from ear slit to ear slit over how incredibly clichéd his big brother had just sounded. It was like Raph had read the line straight from the manuscript of some hokey romantic film.

Raph recognized that telltale grin.

"Don't say a word, Donnie . . . or I'll stuff you inside one of these boxes," Raph threatened, but there was no mistaking his teasing tone.

Then, the moment turned somber. Raph's face sunk, and, even in the minimally lit area that they were in, Donnie could see that his brother's vibrant green eyes had dulled.

"Donnie . . . about what I said earlier – " Raph started, but the genius turtle waved him off before he could go any further.

Donnie was half-tempted to say the words 'not the best time' for the third time that night, but he instead went with something he deemed more considerate and appropriate for the moment. "It's okay . . . Raph. We can . . . talk . . . after you . . . help Leo . . . and Mikey. They're more . . . important . . . "

Raph couldn't help but to wonder – and worry – just what Donnie had meant by that last comment, but his little brother didn't give him a chance to question it.

"Go . . . please . . . "

There was a rancid feeling in the pit of Raph's gut telling him not to leave, but it was impossible to say no to his brainy little brother when he was looking at him the way that he was at that moment. Every part of Donnie was imploring Raph to go and the brainiac's face was the very personification of emotional blackmail. Between Donnie and Mikey, Raph was not sure who had the more manipulative pouty face. All that Raph knew for certain was that both of his little brothers definitely knew how to use this expression to their advantage and cash in on it for all it was worth.

Contrary to what his gut was saying, Raph could not refuse his little brother's request. Those big, wavering brown eyes of Donnie's wouldn't let him.

 _Why do I fall for that every time? I'm supposed to be the crude and insensitive one_ . . . _not the pushover ._ . . Raph mentally grumbled.

"Okay, but you need to lock the door behind me . . . and stay hidden behind these boxes. I don't want anyone seeing you. And you have to stay awake. Got that?" Raph said, sounding a lot more like Leonardo or Master Splinter than himself as he reeled off directives.

Raphael had always been essentially the total opposite of a worrywart, but yet, here he was, fretting over minor details that he normally didn't give a crap about.

It sounded weird to Donnie to hear his unshakable big brother play the part of the nervous wreck. The nice guy routine didn't become Raph at all. Donnie would have actually preferred if his red-masked brother would have just told him to 'sit there and shut up, Genius.' At least that way, Donnie would have felt some semblance of normalcy on an otherwise abnormal night.

"Got it . . . Lock door . . . Hide behind boxes . . . Stay awake," Donnie repeated and nodded his understanding. He immediately regretted the decision to nod his head up and down, because the movement instantly reminded him of his killer headache that he had somehow temporarily forgotten about. He was pretty sure that there wasn't enough aspirin in the world to knock down the thumping taking place inside of his skull.

Despite the unbearable pounding in his brain, Donnie forced himself to keep his face neutral, not about to let an inopportune grimace of pain distract Raph from the crucial task at hand. As far as Donnie was concerned, Leo and Mikey came first. His brothers _always_ came first.

The animated sound of Michelangelo's voice yelling Leo's name outside of the factory momentarily pulled Donnie's thoughts away from the hammering in his head and sent the hammering straight to his heart. Out of instinct, the genius turtle looked in the direction of Mikey's voice, but there was no possible way to see the youngest turtle without the aid of X-ray vision.

Donnie turned back towards Raph and he could see the hesitation that had infiltrated his big brother's eyes. It was clear to Donnie that Raph was vacillating between two choices: staying and going.

"They need you . . . Raph," Donnie breathed out, unable to lend his voice box the strength needed to rise above a whisper.

 _They need you, too, Donnie_ , was what Raph had thought, and, what he wished he would have had the courage to say to his broken-hearted little brother at that moment.

The words Raph ultimately chose were far less poignant.

"Donnie, no matter what happens – " There was a lengthy pause that followed the word 'happens' and Donnie presumed that it was just for dramatic effect, but the truth was, it was because Raph had to steel himself for what he was about to say. " – I want you to _promise_ me that you will stay right where you are until I come back for you. Do not move from this spot, Donnie. Rahzar _cannot_ find you. _Promise_ me that you will stay out of sight," Raph said, trying his darnedest to keep his voice steady, but, in spite of his best efforts, some of the more emotional words still came out with a slight quiver to them. Namely, the words 'promise' and 'cannot.'

"Technically . . . that request . . . is unfeasible . . . or at least . . . paradoxical. In order . . . for me . . . to lock . . . the door . . . behind you . . . per your . . . instructions . . . I would have . . . to move . . . from . . . this spot . . . " Donnie pointed out, strictly in jest, trying to lighten the mood that had gotten too heavy for either brothers' comfort level.

There was a strangely gentle, yet serious, expression plastered on Raph's face that did not budge. There wasn't even the slightest detectable twitch of irritation or disgust after Donnie's blatant use of sarcasm at his big brother's expense, leaving the genius to wonder where the bitter glower that should have subsequently followed one of his smart-aleck comments was. It was as if Raph's face was frozen in place.

 _Maybe he's suffering from some form of facial paralysis . . . perhaps brought on by the acute stress or excessive fatigue . . ._ Donnie theorized to himself as he continued to stare at his older brother as though he was studying an intriguing lab specimen _._

Another outcry from Mikey rang out, and, just like that, both Raph's and Donnie's expressions turned uneasy, almost the tantamount of panic. Without warning, Raph seized hold of both of Donnie's shoulders and shook him firmly a couple of times, as if he was trying to shake some sense into him. It was either that or Raph _wanted_ to get puked on again, because if the hothead jostled him like that again, Donnie was fairly confident that's exactly what was going to happen.

Fortunately, for the both of them, Raph stopped shaking Donnie before the brainy brother's stomach went projectile again.

Donnie was about to thank his older brother for the reprieve when Raph spoke up first and made it evident that he wasn't satisfied with his younger brother's response to his request.

"Promise me, Donnie!" Raph pleaded, this time not bothering to hide his emotion, allowing desperation to saturate his words. It was as if Donnie's promise was seemingly more important than his big brother's almighty ego or pride, which struck the genius as rather odd.

 _Raph? Desperate?_

Donnie peered up at Raph with wide, curious eyes, and, lo and behold, there was the headstrong Raph that he knew and loved . . . and was slightly scared of. The older turtle's face was set in a scowl and his eyes showed obstinacy.

"Okay . . . okay . . . I promise," Donnie gasped out, a little frightened by the thought of what his brother might have done to him if he wouldn't have just made that promise. To say that Raph looked highly unstable right now would have been a severe understatement.

Releasing Donnie's shoulders, Raph reached a hand up and ever-so lightly rubbed the top of the brainiac's bald head, making sure to avoid the nasty bump above his little brother's eye.

"I won't let him hurt you again, Donnie," Raph vowed with such conviction, Donnie had to clamp his gapped front teeth over his bottom lip to keep it from quivering. He didn't want his big brother to see how distraught he was, so he did his best to maintain the illusion that he was strong. He had had years of practice in creating that very illusion.

Raph rose to his feet and gave Donnie one last burdened look before heading for the door.

"Raph . . . " Donnie sighed, causing his brother to look back at him from over the jagged top of his carapace. "Promise me . . . you won't . . . let him hurt . . . you, either," Donnie entreated.

"You have my word, little brother," Raph asserted, and, with that, he regrettably had to leave Donnie behind.

Once Raph closed the back door of the building, Donnie painstakingly leaned forward, and, on wobbly hands and knees, he half-crawled/half-dragged himself over to the door that his older brother had just exited. Donnie's head and ankle both protested the movement and he noticed that his body wasn't all that responsive to his commands. Whatever illness was plaguing him was starting to take a serious toll. He could barely move.

Planting one arm on the floor for support, Donnie outstretched his other arm towards the door, nearly doing a face plant in the process. As the purple-clad turtle twisted and strained to reach up for the lock, something caught his attention.

Across from where Donnie was kneeling, he spotted an object that had been thrown carelessly against the wall – presumably by Rahzar upon his entrance.

It was his bo-staff.

Forgetting all about locking the door and Raph's orders, Donnie stared at his discarded weapon while he listened to the muted sounds of the ongoing clash outside. His eyes hooded over with deliberation.

He was about to break his promise . . .

* * *

 _ **To be continued . . .**_

 _ ***Author's Note: Please let me know if you liked this chapter. Thanks so much for reading.**_


	11. Chapter 11 - When Turtles Fly

_***Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.**_

 _ ***Author's Notes: Here is chapter 11 of 'You're Needed Here Now, Donnie' and this one is pretty action-packed. I really hope you like it.**_

 _ **Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to read, review, favorite, and follow me and my stories. Your kindness and support mean the world to me. Please continue to favorite/follow/review my story if you are enjoying it so I know that you like it. I love the feedback. CJ**_

* * *

 **Chapter 11 – When Turtles Fly**

"Uh, Leo," Mikey whined, vainly attempting to massage the stinging sensation out of his left bicep brought on by a well-performed roundhouse kick courtesy of Rahzar. As he favored his aching arm, the youngest terrapin gyrated and danced about to avoid being kicked again by the bigger mutant. He was also trying his best to retain Rahzar's attention while Leo attempted to get his bearings back. His oldest brother had taken a hard kick from Rahzar, too, but his had been below the belt and Mikey knew from experience that _that_ was going to take a lot more time to recover from than a kick to the arm.

Mikey expertly twirled his nunchucks out in front of him and hooked one of his kusari chains around Rahzar's wrist. He then gave the boney mutant a solid whack to the head with the Kikon-bu end of his other nunchuck handle. Rahzar did a sort of shuffle-step sideways, almost dragging Mikey with him as he staggered to the left, but the agile turtle pulled away his nunchucks just in time to save himself from being strung along like a puppet. Not that Mikey had anything against puppets . . . because he didn't. In fact, he really, _really_ adored puppets. His particular favorite marionette was his big brother, Donnie. Mikey loved it when Raph did the whole Donnie puppet thing. That was super funny stuff, but something told Mikey that being Rahzar's puppet wouldn't be nearly as funny. He was willing to bet that it would be a lot more painful than funny.

Rahzar taking a blind swing and a miss at Mikey's head rudely interrupted the orange-clad turtle's disorganized thought process and snapped him back into reality.

 _Phew! That was a little too close for comfort . . ._ Mikey thought as he darted to the opposite side of the street that Rahzar was still hobbling on.

"Leo! We're kind of getting our shells handed to us on a platter here," Mikey not-so ingeniously pointed out, thinking that he was being helpful.

Helpful was not exactly what Leo would have called it. The leader in blue certainly didn't need Mikey to tell him that things weren't going well. He had the bruises to prove it.

"I noticed that, Mikey," Leo groaned in a voice that was significantly rougher than normal. The oldest turtle was still hunched over in pain, with his hands on his knees, waiting for the residual throbbing from Rahzar's cheap shot to subside. The soreness from the unsportsmanlike conduct that the canine mutant had dished out several moments before was gradually dying down, but Leo was still in dire need of an ice pack . . . maybe even two of them.

Excruciating pain or not, it definitely wasn't the best circumstances for the leader to take a prolonged time out. Just because he was hurting, that didn't give him the right to leave Mikey to take Rahzar down on his own. Leo had already seen the awful beast do enough damage to his family for one night.

Forcing himself to stand upright once again, Leonardo did everything in his power to ignore his body's strong objections to the movement. He needed to push the pain out of his mind so that he could focus on the fight rather than on his own misery. His brothers needed him.

Finally, Leo lifted his head up just in time to see Rahzar taking another go at Mikey, but thankfully, his baby brother was nimble enough to dodge the attack and skitter away unscathed. Mikey then started bouncing around like a mindless chimpanzee.

Perhaps nimble hadn't been the right word to describe Mikey . . .

 _Spastic is more like it_ . . . Leo mentally noted as he watched Mikey whirl around like a green tornado, all the while, making bizarre whooping noises.

It was a little bit embarrassing.

Leo shook his head from side to side, not at all thrilled with his youngest brother's nonstop horseplay, but he refused to allow himself to be distracted by Mikey's clowning around. The oldest turtle instead concentrated on making another strike at their enemy. Other than the one timely blow to Rahzar's head that Mikey had just gotten in seconds ago, Leo and Mikey had failed to connect any other decent hits thus far and Leo's latest attempt didn't turn out to be anymore successful. The giant mutant dog easily deflected the incoming assault and flicked Leo to the side like he was a bothersome insect.

Dropping his head down as he fell towards the pavement, Leo managed to pull off a rather graceful-looking somersault. Somehow, the terrapin leader had succeeded in making it appear as though he had meant to do the tuck and roll maneuver.

"Oh, man! I wish Raph and Donnie were here . . . " Mikey thought out loud as he increased the distance between he and Rahzar, who was clearly growing more and more impatient with the skirmish.

The words had barely parted Michelangelo's lips when the youngest turtle heard a familiar gruff voice that made his heart sing.

"Looks like you two could use the help of the world's most handsome turtle."

"Raph!" Mikey squealed with delight, smiling as wide as his face would go and doing several fist pumps to show his enthusiasm for his second oldest brother's arrival.

It was at that moment that Mikey realized that his wish had just come true. Well, the Raph part of it anyway. The youngest turtle looked up to the skies in wide-eyed wonder, searching for some kind of a sign or the presence of some magical being that had just granted him his wish. Feeling all tingly inside with anticipation, Mikey closed his eyes and made his next wish. "Oh great and totally powerful genie . . . or whatever you are . . . I wish I had unlimited wishes. But if you can't grant that wish, then I wish for an endless supply of comic books and pizza."

Raph came up beside Mikey and slapped him in the back of the head.

"Ow! Hey! I didn't wish for that!" Mikey whimpered up at the traitorous night sky while he rubbed his now aching head.

"No . . . but I did," Raph wisecracked with a mischievous smirk.

"Well, it's still good to see you, bro! Even if you hit me," Mikey said with a beaming smile.

Leo wasn't quite as ecstatic to see Raph.

"Raph, you're supposed to be protecting Donnie, remember?" Leo snarled over his shoulder, making sure not to take his eyes off of Rahzar for more than a few seconds since he was still within the ferocious mutant's attack zone. The blue-masked ninja swished his katanas together, a little bit for show, but more so to hear the somewhat comforting sound that his blades produced when they slid against one another.

Raph pretended to be apathetic to his older brother's question, but inside, his stomach twisted like a pretzel. If Leo found out that he had left Donnie, injured and alone, in the abandoned warehouse right next to them, he'd deshell him for sure. That's when Raph decided that a slight misrepresentation of the truth was in order.

 _What Fearless doesn't know, won't hurt him . . ._

"Relax, Leo. Donnie's in good hands. I left him with Casey," Raph said complacently, lying with practiced ease, thanks to years of stretching the truth in order to save their shells from their disciplinarian father. They were all guilty of it at one time or another . . .

" _Ah! Sensei!"_

" _And where have you been?"_

" _Nowhere . . . "_

" _And how did you get so hurt?"_

" _Oh . . . that . . . um . . . w – well, we were . . . um . . . "_

" _. . . hit . . . "_

" _. . . by a . . . "_

" _. . . bus . . . "_

Of course, their wise old Sensei had seen right through that poorly executed fib, even before Mikey had made the ridiculous claim that they had been hit by a 'bus' of all things.

Fortunately for Raph, this particular time, he was dealing with Leonardo, not his highly observant father. Raph's current falsehood appeared to be a much more successful endeavor than the 'bus' falsehood. His older brother didn't seem to suspect a thing. The only downside of Leo buying into the lie was that he took it upon himself to give his immediate younger brother an ear slit full.

"Casey? How is _that_ leaving him in good hands?" Leo started, but Raph quickly blew off his big brother's attempt to reprimand him for his actions. Growing up under the same roof as 'Leonardo the Great' made the hothead an expert at tuning out his older brother's voice. Well, most of the time . . . Sometimes, his older brother knew just how to get underneath his shell. This was not one of those times. That was because Raph had someone else to converge all of his anger on.

" . . . You may as well have asked the Kraang to watch – Are you even listening to me?" Leo griped when he saw that Raph had stopped paying attention to him. It was plain to see that his younger brother's focus was now exclusively on Rahzar. There was no mistaking that the most volatile turtle was just itching to launch an attack.

 _Why do I even bother?_ Leo mentally grumbled.

Then, as if he couldn't hold himself back a moment longer, Raph let out a raucous roar and he dashed towards Rahzar, fists and sais leading the way. To Leo's surprise, Raph landed an impressive right hook to Rahzar's chin, temporarily dazing the taller mutant.

Seeing a golden opportunity arise, Leo moved in for the TKO, but, regrettably, Rahzar wasn't as dazed as Leo had thought he was.

Before Leo even got a chance to get a hit in, Rahzar struck the turtle's leader without mercy, slamming his tightly closed fist into Leo's solar plexus.

Leo flew some ten feet through the air, landing on his shell, and then, bouncing several more feet until the curb in front of the fortune cookie factory was nice enough to cease his forward motion. The last bit of momentum from his flight propelled Leo up and over onto his plastron so that he was face down atop the very curb that had stopped him, making it impossible for Raph and Mikey to see if he was conscious or not.

"Leo!" Mikey and Raph yelled simultaneously as they hurried over to their fallen brother, almost too scared to touch him.

Leo moaned in pain as soon as Raph placed a hand on his shoulder.

That was all the motivation Mikey needed to launch his own assault on Rahzar. The youngest brother already despised Chris Bradford more than their average enemy due to their rocky history together. Then, the jerk had gone and hurt Donnie real bad. Now, seeing Leo's prostrate form on the sidewalk only made Mikey despise his former friend "Rad Brad" that much more. Watching Bradford attack his oldest brother was the last straw needed to push Mikey over the edge. The normally happy-go-lucky turtle didn't just go insane. He went Raph-insane.

"Mikey! No!" Raph yelled, but he was too late. Mikey had already made up his mind.

"You hurt my brothers, you big, ugly creep!" Mikey shouted as he barreled full speed into Rahzar's gut with his shoulder and shell.

Once again, the biggest mutant of the five proved to be an impenetrable fortress, seemingly impervious to turtles smashing into his midsection.

Slightly woozy and confused from the collision, Mikey stooped in front of Rahzar. While the youngest sibling waited for the world to stop spinning, he made the mistake of leaving his shell unprotected.

Rahzar swung his huge arm out and nailed Mikey with a bone-jarring backhand, much like what he had done to Donnie earlier when he had rendered him unconscious.

Raphael's heart just about leapt out of his chest as he watched his baby brother sail into a nearby wall. The only positive thing about what had just happened was that Mikey hit shell first rather than head first like poor Donnie had, but that didn't bring the red-clad turtle a whole lot of comfort. Not when he saw Mikey fall lifelessly to the ground much the same way that his genius brother had back in the warehouse.

"Mikey!" Raph howled, sprinting towards his downed little brother. Once beside Mikey, Raph rolled him over onto his carapace, and, like Leo, the youngest turtle let out a moan of pain.

"Two down, one to go," Rahzar snarled, slowly backing away from where Raph was poised over Mikey. Raph noticed that the bigger mutant was getting unnervingly close to Leo, who was still lying face down, not moving. Raph rose to his feet and twirled his sais, preparing to defend Leo at all cost.

"Once I take care of you, I'll find that scrawny brother of yours and I'll make him suffer for all of the trouble you four have caused me tonight. Then, when he turns me human again, I'll show him what real pain is. Maybe I'll send him back to your rat master, piece by piece. Which piece do you think your Sensei would like first?" Rahzar asked coldly and his face twisted into a sickening smile, as though the very thought of causing Donatello pain brought him immense pleasure. What was actually making him smile was the satisfaction of seeing the hot-tempered turtle about to blow his top. It was so easy to push this one's buttons. Rahzar almost hated to have to kill him . . .

"You keep your filthy claws away from my brother!" Raph screamed, making a beeline for Rahzar, growling the whole way. The three prongs of the sai clutched in Raph's right hand were aimed straight for Rahzar's throat as he charged, but the larger mutant anticipated this and blocked the move with a well-timed side swipe of his forearm, effectively knocking Raph's weapon out of his hand.

Rahzar then hauled his other arm back and sent his open hand flying into Raph's temple, causing the red-banded turtle's head to jerk to the side as he teetered backwards several steps. Spots filled Raph's vision and he wasn't even aware that he had dropped his other sai to the ground until he heard a 'ting' sound. With his hands now free of projectile objects, Raph instinctively clutched his thudding head.

Seeing that the turtle was dazed from the swat that he had just delivered to his head, Rahzar chose to capitalize on the turtle's bad decision to temporarily let his guard down and leave himself vulnerable to attack. The hulking mutant dog drew his right claws back in an almost theatrical fashion and prepared to deliver a death blow straight into Raphael's chest.

Raph was slouched forward, rubbing his aching head, so he was momentarily oblivious to Rahzar's incoming strike. By the time the second oldest turtle's vision focused enough to see the claws coming at him, there was nothing he could do to stop them. With Leo and Mikey already down, Raph was about to get stuck like a big, green pin cushion.

"Oh . . . this is gonna hurt," Raph groaned, pressing his eyes tightly closed and holding his breath as he waited for the white hot stabbing pain from Rahzar's claws to course through him.

The pain never came.

At least, not for Raph . . .

For a split-second, Raph thought that maybe he had died instantly from the fatal puncture wounds that he had been bracing himself for, but, if he was in fact dead, why could he still feel his head throbbing and his heart pounding wildly against his rib cage? And why did his mouth feel so dry? And why did he still have this unspeakable feeling of dread burning in the pit of his stomach?

Unable to take the suspense a moment longer, Raph blindly patted down his plastron, checking for anything out of the ordinary . . . Or, more importantly, checking for any holes that hadn't been there before.

 _Nothing_ . . .

Exhaling a tremulous breath, Raph's now overstrained brain gradually attempted to make sense of things again. Keeping his eyes sealed shut out of fear, he mentally retraced the sounds that he had just heard. First, he had heard the familiar sound of his name being called out. It had sounded like it had come from above. Then, there had been a stomach-turning thump, followed by several grunts of pain. One thump, two voices. Now, silence . . .

The silence was terrifying, but what filled Raph's soul with even more terror than the silence was the fact that he could have sworn that one of those voices belonged to Donnie.

 _Donnie . . ._

Sucking in a gulp of air so hard that he nearly choked on it, Raph forced himself to open his eyes, although every fiber of his being was screaming for him not to.

"D – Donnie?" Raph gasped as the breath that he had just taken in was stolen away from him. His hands began to sweat and shake uncontrollably at his sides. At an absolute loss as to what to do, he could only stand there and stare for several agonizing moments. The scene before him was too much to take in all at once.

Rahzar's huge form was splayed out on the pavement, arms and legs widely spread-out, like he had fallen asleep while in the midst of making a snow angel. It may have been a comical sight to behold if Raph wasn't feeling so completely mortified right now.

On top of the skeletal mutant's sprawled out body was a large, grungy-looking cardboard box that was mostly in one piece. The unknown contents of the box were still miraculously contained inside thanks to the supernatural powers of packaging tape. Attached to said cardboard box that had presumably been responsible for knocking Rahzar out cold was a man-sized mutant turtle that – much to Raph's horror – was draped over the mutant canine and the box at an awkward angle. The turtle's eyes were closed and he appeared to be completely motionless.

"Donnie!" Raph shouted, clumsily sidestepping around Rahzar to get to his genius brother. The temperamental turtle was now skyrocketing towards a full-blown nervous breakdown.

For reasons Raph could not even begin to comprehend, Donnie had the big, filthy cardboard box strapped to his back like a parachute, securely fastened to his plastron and shoulders by some tattered old ropes that he must have found inside of the factory. On the ground beside Donnie's outstretched right arm was his bo-staff. Raph assumed that his little brother must have dropped the weapon upon impact with the mutant below him.

 _Upon impact . . ._ Raph swallowed so hard it hurt as his gaze found its way up to the balcony above them. It had to be an eighteen to twenty-foot drop from the balcony down to the ground.

"Aw shell," Raph muttered, frantically searching the area for his dropped sais. Once he spotted one of them, he quickly snatched it up and began to cut away the ropes that were keeping Donnie pinned to the cardboard box.

"Why, Donnie? Why would you do that?" Raph rhetorically asked, letting his voice crack without contest as he sliced away the last of the ropes.

When all of the ropes were removed, Donnie's body started to limply slide forward off of the box, but his big brother was there, ready to catch him. Raph wrapped his muscular arms around Donnie's torso and carefully dragged his unresponsive little brother several feet away from where Rahzar was laid out.

Raph nervously glanced over his shoulder and he could see that both Leo and Mikey were starting to come around. While the sight initially brought Raph a modicum of relief, in the end, it wound up making him that much more stressed out. It meant that Rahzar could wake up at any time.

"Leo! I could really use your help over here!" Raph sharply howled over his shoulder, and then, turned back towards Donnie. Removing his elbow pads in one swift motion, Raph cautiously lifted Donnie's head up off of the ground and gently rested it back down upon his elbow pads. Still, Donnie didn't look as though he felt all that comfortable. Then again, Raph wasn't feeling all that comfortable, either.

"Open your eyes, Donnie," Raph said, patting the side of his younger brother's face, exactly like he had done earlier when the genius was unconscious, and, just like earlier, Donnie did not respond to the physical contact. Fortunately, this time, Raph had the presence of mind to restrain himself from slapping his little brother, knowing that he already had a head injury. Raph didn't want to make things worse than they already were.

 _Like I could possibly make things any worse than I already have_ . . . _This is all my fault. I should have never left him,_ Raph thought hysterically, scared out of his shell.

"Come on, Brainiac! Don't do this to me! Let me see your eyes, Donnie. Remember, you said yourself that you shouldn't go to sleep with a concussion . . . so the doctor can't go ignoring his own orders, right?" Raph tried to reason with Donnie, but to no avail.

Donnie's body was dreadfully still.

 _Too still . . ._

 _Oh no! No! No! No! Please, Donnie! Please! No!_

* * *

 _ **To be continued . . .**_

 _ ***Author's Note:**_ _ **Thank you so much for reading. Please continue to favorite/follow/review if you like this story and**_ _ **that cliffhanger ending . . . ;) CJ**_


	12. Chapter 12 - Promises Broken

_***Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.**_

 _ ***Author's Notes: Chapter 12 of 'You're Needed Here Now, Donnie' is here! I can't believe it's already been a week . . .**_

 _ **As always, thank you all so much for your support and for taking the time to read, review, favorite, and follow me and my stories. I have been on Fanfiction for two months now and it has been an amazing experience so far. I have made so many wonderful new friends and I can't thank all of you enough for making me feel so welcome. I was extremely**_ _ **nervous**_ _ **terrified to share my stories with the world, but everyone has been so very kind and encouraging. Thank you! I appreciate it far more than I can type, and I can type a lot . . . :,) Okay, I'm getting a little emotional here . . .**_

 _ **If you like this story or any of my other stories, please continue to favorite/follow/review them. I love hearing from each and every one of you. CJ**_

* * *

 **Chapter 12 – Promises Broken**

"Leo! Mikey!" Raph barked at his two brothers who were finally starting to move around, and then, he stared back down at his brother who was not. Raph leaned over Donnie and gently cupped his little brother's face in his hands. Donnie's skin was still roasting with fever, which sent another flood of panic rampaging through Raph. "Look at me, Donnie! Wake! Up! Please!" Raph's voice rose by several decibels with each passing word that he choked out.

Still, there was no response.

"You promised me, Donnie! You promised me! You said that you would stay put and you would stay awake! Now, open your eyes!" Raph was practically begging at this point, something that he never did when he was in his right frame of mind.

Patience long gone, Raph glanced back at Leo to see that Fearless was taking his sweet time getting up. Raph could hear his older brother groaning and he could see him trying to shake the cobwebs out of his head as he pushed himself up onto his knees.

"Leo! Get your shell over here, now!" Raph snarled over his shoulder, not concerning himself with what a rude awakening that must have been for his older brother. Truthfully, Raph really didn't care. Right now, the turtle in red didn't have the time or the consideration to worry himself over something as trivial as Leo's feelings.

Unbeknownst to Raph, who had turned his back towards his older brother about halfway through his last sentence, Leo's head had shot up before his immediate younger brother had even finished yelling at him. The distinct inflection in Raph's voice had instantly snapped Leo out of his momentary haze.

Due to Raphael's undeniably poor communication skills (poor was putting it very, _very_ mildly), the red-clad turtle's three brothers had had years of training on how to recognize and interpret the hothead's different vocal pitches and nuances accordingly. Leonardo knew Raph's current tone all too well and it spoke volumes without the need for actual words. Leo's heart filled with unspeakable dread, for the tone that his temperamental brother had just utilized told him all that he didn't want to know.

 _Raph doesn't use that tone unless . . ._

"Donnie?" Leo gasped as he looked in the direction that Raph's voice had projected from.

The first thing that caught Leo's attention was the sight of Rahzar pinned underneath a big cardboard box, seemingly down for the count. The second thing that Leo noticed was Raph. His younger brother's slouched frame was hovering over their genius brother, whose thin figure was laid out on the street just off to the right of where Rahzar was. Panic seizing hold of him with rapid force, Leo did a frantic scan for Mikey and soon discovered that the youngest turtle was lying down on the sidewalk about twenty some feet away from where Leo was currently kneeling. Mikey looked as though he had gotten his bell rung, but he was at least making an attempt to get up. Donnie, on the other hand, did not appear to be moving. Standard triage protocols told the leader in blue that his purple-clad brother took top priority.

Without a second's delay, Leo pushed himself up and was at Donnie's side before Raph even realized that the oldest turtle was back on his feet.

"Raph? What happened?" Leo asked more bluntly than normal and the scorn in his voice was obvious. The smooth contours of Leo's face were shadowed, but Raph could still see his older brother's facial muscles tighten and twitch with a combination of fear and disgust. Leo's piercing sapphire eyes stayed locked on Donnie as he quickly went about checking his second youngest brother for new injuries while he waited for Raph to respond to his question.

Now that Leo was finally here beside him, Raph didn't have a clue what to say. It was as though his mind had gone totally blank.

 _Kind of like Mikey . . ._

"Raph!" Leo said sharply and the pupils of his eyes narrowed to pinpoints.

Now, it was Raph who was trying to shake the cobwebs out of his head. All of the sudden, he couldn't think straight and it felt like he had a thousand cotton balls wedged in his throat. He looked up at Leo with a vacant expression and his mouth opened, but nothing came out the way he wanted it to.

"Donnie . . . He . . . he was . . . I don't know . . . I was just . . . No . . . Rahzar . . . I mean . . . You went down . . . Then, Mikey . . . then, he . . . I . . . I tried to . . . but he was . . . then Donnie . . . I – "

It was as if Raph had taken up a second language, if gibberish could be qualified as a language. Either way, Leo hadn't understand half of what Raph had just said . . . or rather, had tried to say. Hearing Raph babble on like that had been painful to listen to.

"Raph! You need to calm down! You're not making any sense!" Leo commanded firmly, resisting the compelling urge to slap Raph across the face the way that his television hero, Captain Ryan, would have done if he was in such a situation. Something told Leo that Raph wouldn't take the "pull yourself together" gesture nearly as well as Mr. Crankshaw always had. Raph's reaction would most likely be to set his fists to destruction. Either that, or he would simply break both of Leo's arms right on the spot. The eldest brother valued his limbs too much to test his theory. He decided that the safest way to get Raph's attention would be to stick to calling out his name.

"Raph!"

"What?" Raph grunted, looking at Leo as though he hadn't even heard a word of what his older brother had said just a few seconds before.

"Tell me what happened!" Leo bellowed out, patience now just as nonexistent as Raph's. Once again, Leo was looking at Raph as though he was the enemy. The oldest turtle even went so far as to push Raph's hands away from Donnie's face, acting as though he was protecting his injured brother from his hostile brother.

Raphael was about to vocally – maybe even physically – express his disapproval of Leonardo's actions when a very distraught Mikey finally made his way over to his three big brothers. The youngest turtle's arrival temporarily derailed Raph's train of thought.

"Donnie! Oh, man! What happened? Why isn't he moving?" Mikey shrieked in his frightened falsetto tone, immediately spun into disarray. His big, blue eyes were wavy with unspent tears as he placed both of his hands down on the pavement and nervously floated over his injured big brother.

Unable to stand seeing the tears that soon started to stream down Mikey's freckled cheeks, Leo gave Raph a murderous glare that the red-banded ninja was quick to reciprocate. Neither of the two oldest turtles bothered to respond to Mikey's questions, too caught up with their glaring contest. Mikey could see that Leo and Raph had some serious issues that they needed to work through. Both of them looked like their heads were about to pop like a couple of overinflated balloons.

Mikey eyes lit up, but only for a nanosecond.

The mere thought of balloons had nearly distracted the youngest brother from the situation at hand, but he somehow managed to keep himself focused on the much more important subject matter. Namely, his unconscious big brother . . .

"Dudes, why is Donnie even here? I thought that Raph said he was with Casey," Mikey aptly pointed out, not intentionally accusing his second oldest brother of something, but Raph took it as such. Anger flared up for an instant, but it just as soon receded when Raph saw the distressed expression on his baby brother's round face. Poor Mikey looked like a little kid who had just found out that his puppy had gotten run over by a car right after someone had cancelled his birthday party.

Raph internally sighed, feeling bad for getting angry at Mikey. He knew that his youngest brother hadn't meant anything by what he had said. Mikey was just worried about Donnie.

They all were . . .

Then, just when Raph thought that he couldn't possibly feel any worse about what had happened, he watched Mikey lift a shaky hand up and delicately stroke his fingertips back and forth along the top of Donnie's head. It looked as if Mikey was afraid that he might break Donnie if he touched him any harder than he was. Raph had never seen his youngest brother so careful with anything in all of his life. Mikey's comforting gesture was so pure and so tender, it nearly made Raph lose it right there and then.

Wracked with guilt, Raph couldn't lie to Mikey a moment longer.

"Donnie was never with Casey. He was . . . He was hiding inside the warehouse the whole time. He was supposed to stay hidden until I came back for him," Raph confessed, dipping his head down so low, his chin was pressed against his plastron. He then clenched his teeth as he fortified himself for the rant that was sure to follow. He guessed that it would take all of five seconds for Fearless to get over his initial shock, and then, he would let Raph have it.

 _Five – four – three – two – one . . ._

"You lied to us? You left Donnie all alone in that warehouse?" Leo seethed, pointing at the warehouse for added emphasis, but the finger motion didn't slow his bitter outburst any. If anything, it just added fuel to the fire raging inside of Leo. "What if Rahzar would have found him, Raph? Did you stop to think about that? Did you stop for one second to think about Donnie at all? I trusted you, Raph! Donnie trusted you! You were supposed to be protecting him!"

The anger pouring off of Leo was unmistakable. Raph knew it was there without the need for visual confirmation, but there was far more than just anger darkening Leo's features. It wasn't until Raphael was able to bring himself to look over at Leo that he saw the many other emotions his older brother was waging war with. What was the most difficult for Raph to see was the disappointment.

"I . . . I'm sorry," Raph muttered, turning away again. The shame was making it next to impossible to look at his brothers. Donnie especially . . .

"You're sorry? You were supposed to get Donnie away from Rahzar, not leave him right where that monster could find him again! If you would have listened to me for once in your life, Donnie wouldn't be lying here unconscious! He would be safe! Because of your carelessness, our brother . . . he might not . . . " Leo could not finish the sentence, as the air needed to fill his lungs was suddenly alluding him. It felt as though the grief was crushing his insides. Seeing Donnie like this was more than Leo could handle.

It was more than any of them could handle . . .

"Do you think I don't know that, Leo? Do you think I don't hate myself for what happened? He was protecting me! He jumped off that balcony to save me!" Raph hollered so fiercely, his throat went hoarse by the time he got to the word 'jumped.'

The thought of what Donnie had done to protect him was tearing Raph apart, piece by piece.

 _Why would you do that, Donnie? Why would you sacrifice yourself to save me after all of those awful things I said to you? You're supposed to be the smart one!_

Raph tightened his fingers into fists without even realizing it. His body began to shake as he drove his balled up hands into the pavement below several times in a futile attempt to release some of his pent up frustration. The red-masked turtle was so overwhelmed with unbridled fury at this point, he wasn't even sure who he was angriest with: Leo, Donnie, or himself.

In the meantime, Leo was coping with anger management issues of his own. He was still trying to process what Raph had just blurted out pertaining to Donnie, jumping, and a balcony. Finally, he put the puzzle pieces together.

"Wait! He what?" Leo howled somewhat hysterically, constricting his eyes and visibly gritting his teeth the way that the true blue leader always did when he asked someone to repeat something that he didn't actually need repeated. It was Leo's special – or annoying depending on which turtle you asked – way of saying that he didn't believe or approve of what he had just heard.

Raph was all too familiar with Leo's penchant for demanding someone to needlessly reiterate what they had just said. However, the hothead was much more used to hearing the pronoun "you" precede the word "what?" rather than "he," since Raph was typically the one who was guilty of committing the acts that Leo was questioning.

Crossing his arms in front of himself more for comfort than anger, Raph turned his head away from his brothers once again in order to avoid the reproachful stare that he knew was etched on Leo's face. He could feel his older brother's eyes fixed upon him. This told him that the blue-clad ninja wasn't about to let up until he had the answers that he sought. The problem with this was that Raph was sure if he even attempted to elaborate on what had just happened, the stronghold that kept his more vulnerable emotions at bay would come tumbling down. He could already feel the foundation crumbling at his feet.

Just as Raph was about to crack, Mikey felt the need to enter the conversation again. For the first time in forever, Raph was thankful for Mikey's timing.

"Uh . . . guys, I - " Mikey started, but was not allowed to finish by way of Leo.

"Not now, Mikey! Raph has some explaining to do," Leo waved off his baby brother and kept his uncompromising gaze glued on Raphael.

"But – " Mikey tried again, only to meet with the same result.

"In a minute, Mikey! Let Raph ex – " Leo tried to cut Mikey off again, but the youngest turtle decided to just talk right over his oldest brother.

Only, this time, it wasn't Leo that Mikey was addressing . . .

"It's okay, D. Leo and Raph are super worried about you, too. They just have a weird way of showing it," Mikey said reassuringly and the joyful look upon his face said it all.

Both Leo and Raph's eyes widened in shock.

Then, they heard a familiar voice. It was frail and barely even at a whisper, but they knew in a heartbeat who it belonged to.

"R – Raphie?"

It was a childhood nickname that Raphael had not heard uttered for some time. Partly, because he was older now and had outgrown the juvenile name, and mostly, because if any one of his brothers had the nerve to call him that name to his face, they knew that they would get pounded for it.

Due to the current extenuating circumstances, what Raph felt when he heard his onetime pet name spoken was the exact antithesis of anger. It was actually the sweetest word the turtle in red had ever heard, although he would never openly admit to such a sappy sentiment like that. Well . . . at least, not intentionally. Unbeknownst to Raph, his face was saying exactly what he was feeling inside. When he peered down at Donnie, Raph's rugged features betrayed him by allowing his fabled soft side to make an appearance.

"H – hey, Donnie boy," Raph said in a much wispier tone than he certainly had intended to. He was trying so hard to be that indestructible warrior they all expected him to be, but there were times when that invincible façade was really hard to pull off. For instance, when your genius little brother was lying in the middle of the street, seriously injured, all because of you.

"Y – you . . . all . . . o – okay?" Donnie asked with such a small voice, it sounded like there was much more than just a few feet separating the four brothers.

Leonardo and Raphael glanced at on another to see that they were both being overwhelmed by the same feelings of remorse.

After all that had happened, Donnie's first concern was still his brothers' well-being. He wasn't even able to lift his head up, but all he cared about was his family. There wasn't a selfish bone in the brainy turtle's body and his brothers all knew it. Donnie just wouldn't be Donnie if he wasn't always fixing things or taking care of them. They all knew that there was nothing the genius wouldn't do to protect the people that he cared about, even at the expense of his own safety and needs. That was why it was so hard for all of his brothers to see him lying there so hurt and in such a fragile state. He didn't deserve this. Not for one second . . .

"Of course I'm okay. All thanks to you, little brother. But you nearly gave Leo and Mikey a heart attack when you wouldn't wake up," Raph said with a smug smile as he reached out and took one of Donnie's hands in his own. It was a rare intimate gesture from the hotheaded turtle, but none of his brothers drew any attention to it. They didn't want to ruin the moment or do something that might tick Raph off. Besides, they all knew that the gesture was Raph's roundabout way of telling Donnie that he had terrified him as well.

"You had us all scared, Donnie," Leo said, placing a hand along the side of his injured brother's face and giving him a warm smile.

"S – sorry," Donnie slurred, involuntarily leaning into Leo's touch. His eyelids started to droop as though they were too heavy to keep open. All three of his brothers noticed.

"Ah-ah-ah! No sleeping, bro," Mikey chimed in, trying to put up a brave front for his ailing big brother. Inside, the youngest turtle was feeling anything but brave, but his brainy brother didn't need to know that. With a painted on grin that they all expected, Mikey looked down at the genius. The youngest terrapin pretended to be all happy-go-lucky for Donnie's sake, but he could see, plain as day, how bad his big brother looked. Mikey may not have been the sharpest crayon in the box. Heck, he may not even have been inside of the box at all . . . But he could see that there was something totally wrong with Donnie and it was wigging him right out.

He wasn't the only one wigging out. Raph was having just as hard of a time trying to keep it together, but, like Mikey, he did his best to put up a brave front.

"Yeah, Donnie. You already got to take a little nap. Now, you gotta keep those eyes open," Raph said, giving Donnie's hand a firm squeeze.

Donnie forced his eyes apart as far as he could, which was only about half-mast at most. He shifted his sleepy gaze from brother to brother, assessing their conditions. The doctor part of his brain needed to make sure that his siblings did not have any injuries that would require medical treatment before they got back to the lair. As he checked over his brothers, it finally dawned on the purple-banded turtle why he was inspecting his siblings in the first place.

"B – Brad . . . f – ford?" Donnie stuttered out, not able to see the mutant in question, but that was only because he had three brawny brothers sloped over him, effectively blocking his view.

"You did a real number on him, flyboy. He hasn't moved since you pulled your little aerial stunt," Raph stated proudly, but there was sadness behind his words as well.

Donnie attempted to lift his head up, but failed miserably. He would have been lying if he would have said that his complete lack of energy and inability to move didn't concern him from a medical standpoint. He wasn't sure exactly what illness was afflicting him, but whatever it was, it had sapped him of all strength. So much so, he couldn't even move his head or any of his limbs. Donnie didn't ever remember feeling so drained. Not even after multiple days of no food or sleep while battling gastroenteritis and a viral infection. Donnie was completely out of gas. His brothers must have picked up on this, because, all of the sudden, he became aware that he was being raised up into a sitting position. It was then that he noticed that he had not felt a thing when they had lifted him up. In fact, he hadn't felt anything since waking up . . .

"Let's get you home, Donnie," Leo said, wrapping an arm around the back of Donnie's shell. Raph did the same from Donnie's other side.

Sandwiched between his two older brothers, Donnie came to the startling realization that his eyes could no longer focus on anything. Something felt . . . off. Really, _really_ off . . .

Donnie would have voiced his growing concerns about his condition if he could have found the strength to do so. As weak as he was, he couldn't even tell his brothers that something was very wrong. He couldn't do anything. His body wouldn't let him.

His brothers went about talking, completely unaware of Donnie's worsening state.

"What about Rahzar?" Mikey asked, getting to his feet and motioning towards the mutant dog that was still completely out of it.

"What about him?" Raph asked without an ounce of sympathy as he stared at his second youngest brother who was currently fighting with all of his might just to keep his eyes open. As far as Raph was concerned, they should just leave Rahzar in the center of the road and pray for a steamroller to run him over.

"Are we . . . are we really just gonna leave him lying here in the street?" Mikey asked with an uncertain expression.

If Raph didn't know any better, he would have guessed that Mikey felt bad about the thought of leaving Rahzar where he was at.

 _You've gotta be kidding me!_ Raph mentally growled.

Raph was about to tell Mikey off for being stupid when Leo took it upon himself to take a much more discreet approach to the situation, knowing just how sensitive his youngest brother could be. As the team's leader and the oldest brother, Leo had always liked to think that he knew how to deal with his two youngest brothers a lot better than Raph. But, then again, after all that had happened this night, Leo was starting to have serious doubts about his people – or turtle – skills. Still, he tried his best to calm Mikey down and protect him from Raph's crassness.

"Mikey, I think in this case, it really is best to let sleeping dogs lie," Leo said softly and he put on a thoughtful expression to correspond with his attempt to pacify Mikey.

Mikey nodded and rubbed his hand up and down his lower arm uneasily. He still felt bad about leaving someone in the middle of the street, even if he hated the guy . . . But, at the same time, he didn't want to waste any more time arguing about it. Not when his closest brother needed help. He just wanted to bring Donnie home.

Leo must have been thinking along the same line, because he then said almost the exact same thing that had just gone through Mikey's head.

"Well, we'd better get going. Ready to go home, Donnie? . . . Donnie?"

Even before he had vaguely heard Leo announce that they were leaving, a debilitating coldness had begun to settle over Donnie's entire body and he had a strange sensation that he was floating or perhaps sinking . . . The concept of up or down was suddenly indiscernible. He was starting to think that he wasn't even conscious at this point. Nothing had seemed real to him ever since he had woken up after his leap from the balcony. He was numb and unable to move. It was like he was trapped in a dream. He felt as though something was pulling him away from his thoughts and everything he knew began to wilt and scatter. Donnie wondered if this was due to his illness, his injuries, his lack of nourishment or sleep, or, the steady, relaxing tempo of Raph's breathing next to his ear slit. Or maybe, it was something much worse . . .

And then, in an instant, everything was gone. All at once, his vision faded to black and darkness swallowed him whole.

"Donnie?" Leo gasped when he felt his genius brother go perturbingly limp without warning.

"Donnie! What happened? What's going on?" Mikey cried out, clearly upset. He tried to reach out for his injured big brother, but Leo and Raph were in the way.

"Donnie!" Raph yelped, once again shaking his little brother. Donnie's head lolled backwards and his whole body was totally slack against Raph and Leo's arms.

Raph's chest began to rise and fall with short gasping breaths as he once again wildly tried to get his brainiac brother to open his eyes. "Donnie? Wake up! Come on, Donnie! You gotta stop doing this to me!"

Looking down at Donnie's now lifeless looking body, Leo felt his heart start to race in erratic rhythm. Donnie was so pale.

 _Too pale . . ._

"We need to get him back to the lair! Now!" Leo declared and the seriousness in his tone did not escape Raph.

Without delay, Raph scooped up his brainy brother's flaccid form and made a mad dash towards the Shellraiser as though his younger brother's life depended on how fast he ran.

 _Maybe it did . . ._

* * *

 _ **To be continued . . .**_

 _ ***Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading. Please continue to favorite/follow/review if you are enjoying this story. I can't tell you how excited I got when I received my 100th review, my 45th favorite, and my 60th following this past week. So many milestones. Mind blown. Thank you, again! ;) CJ**_


	13. Chapter 13 - Home Not-So-Sweet Home

_***Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.**_

 _ ***Author's Notes: Here's Chapter 13 of 'You're Needed Here Now, Donnie.' I really hope you like this one. I'll warn you in advance that it's quite a bit longer than my last few chapters.**_

 _ **As always, thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read, review, favorite, and follow me and my stories. I am so very grateful to all of you. If you like this story or any of my other stories, please continue to favorite/follow/review them so I know that you like them. I LOVE the feedback. ;) CJ**_

* * *

 **Chapter 13 -** **Home Not-So-Sweet Home**

Despite the rather delicate hour and his being utterly exhausted, sleep had been an impossibility for Hamato Yoshi ever since Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo had gone off to search for Donatello.

It had been well over an hour since his sons had ventured up to the surface and Master Splinter had been deeply troubled from the moment that his boys had left the lair. That was because he could not shake the sense that his sons had been heading into grave danger.

Master Splinter was currently sitting cross-legged on the floor of his bedroom, silently meditating. Well . . . at least he was _trying_ to meditate, just as he had been for the last hour or so, but his fear for his children and his sudden inclination to check the clock every so often were interfering with his relaxation process.

Closing his eyes, he focused on steadying his mind and his breathing so that he might find the spiritual realm that he sought once again. He had been attempting to contact all five of his children by means of the astral plane, but what he had found – or rather not found – had been most disturbing.

When Master Splinter had first managed to achieve a true meditative state, he had quickly discovered that his sons' spirits had been harder to locate than normal, for they had been clouded by intense feelings of anxiety and distress that had kept them from the inner peace needed for him to reach them. What had been most unsettling was that he had not been able to find Donatello's spirit at all.

While Master Splinter had anticipated that it would be difficult find his beloved Miwa's spirit after what had happened, he had not expected that he would be incapable of establishing a connection with his second youngest son. Granted, Donatello's spirit was typically the most challenging of his sons to isolate. The boy was constantly distracted by his thoughts, hindered by his inability to ever truly relax, and closed off by his skepticism and reservations about the spiritual world, all of which were not conducive to establishing a spiritual link, but this time had been all-together different. Even with Donatello's spiritual limitations, Master Splinter had always been able to at least sense his most intelligent son's presence, but right now, his second youngest child was nowhere to be found and this was of great concern to him.

What was also of great concern to him was the amount of time that had elapsed since his four sons had departed the lair.

Master Splinter had been informed that Donatello had gone out to locate one of his self-created vehicles that had been left behind when he had been captured earlier in the evening. However, that particular scenario did not explain why his sons had been gone for over an hour now with no word, nor did it explain Donatello's absence in the astral world. Thus, the reason he was so concerned . . .

It seemed that the longer Master Splinter tried to meditate, the more complicated it became to keep his thoughts focused in order to maintain the sense of clarity and serenity necessary for proper meditation. The apprehension he felt for his second youngest son's well-being was burrowing its way underneath his skin, working to break his concentration. Forcing himself to remain calm in order to uphold his connection, Master Splinter continued to search for his missing son until the sound of distressed voices calling out his name pulled him out of his trance-like state.

"Master Splinter!"

"Sensei!"

"Splinter!"

Before his sons could speak his name again, the Ninjutsu master had made his way through the Dojo entrance into the main area of the lair. His movements were smooth and stealthy, but slightly hastier than normal, for there was no mistaking that there was something terribly wrong. He could hear it in the way that his sons had approached the lair as well as in their tones when they had cried out for him. Even young Michelangelo's voice was devoid of its usual exuberance and none of the boys were boasting of their accomplishments, which was something that his sons often tended to do after what they deemed a productive and successful evening.

Regrettably, Master Splinter's premonition that his sons had been heading into grave danger was soon confirmed when he saw the condition that they were in. All four of his boys were covered in filth and fresh wounds that had not been present when he had last seen them. However, it was Donatello's condition that had him the most alarmed. As far as Master Splinter could tell, Donatello was unconscious and it looked as though he had been run through the ringer. His most inquisitive son's head was slumped forward and his arms were loosely flopped over Leonardo and Raphael's shoulders. Donatello's long, lanky legs were being awkwardly held up by Michelangelo, who was walking just in front of his three big brothers.

"My sons, what has happened?" Master Splinter asked, intentionally keeping his voice even as he moved towards his children to better assess the situation.

As their father checked them all over, the three relatively uninjured brothers swapped anxious glances, not really sure how to answer that question. None of them had thought that far ahead.

Not surprisingly, it was Leonardo who took the first stab at responding.

"Bradford went after Donnie again, Sensei. He took Donnie to an abandoned warehouse, and when we were trying to rescue him, Bradford attacked him and knocked him out," Leo said, making a long story short, not seeing a need to go into some of the more gory details of the evening.

"Place your brother on the couch," Master Splinter instructed in his no-nonsense tone and his students mechanically did as they were told. As Leonardo and Raphael carefully lowered Donatello onto the padded bench seat that encircled the recessed area of the main living space of the lair, Michelangelo was quick to grab several throw pillows so that he could place them underneath his genius brother's injured head.

Master Splinter was immediately kneeling at Donatello's side, examining his unresponsive son. He could see the many contusions covering his son's body. The worst of which was the distended, dark, reddish-purple mark across his son's forehead. He could also see that, aside from his flushed cheeks, Donatello's skin was much paler than it should have been and it was coated in a thin film of sweat.

While he continued his visual inspection of his injured son, Master Splinter's whiskers twitched up and down as he took in the various scents hanging in the air. It didn't take long for him to notice that there was the distinct smell of vomit assaulting his nostrils.

Growing more and more worried about his son's health, Master Splinter took one of Donatello's hands in both of his paws for a moment. The rat closed his eyes and calmed his breathing as best he could, trying to reach out to his injured son or perhaps even just read his aura.

"Donatello? My son, if you can hear me, please squeeze my hand," Master Splinter pleaded softly in his son's ear slit. His heart sunk to the floor when he did not feel any kind of response from his most intelligent son, but he did his best not to let his rising unease present itself. He could see that his other sons were already quite worked up as it was. He did not care to augment the tension any more than necessary.

"Donnie said that he has a concushion," Mikey pointed out as he leaned over Master Splinter's left shoulder, unintentionally invading his father's personal space.

Master Splinter knew that his youngest son's heart was in the right place, as it always was. It was just that the rest of Michelangelo was in the wrong place. The youngest turtle's close proximity was getting in his way, but the wise old rat chose to work around the obstruction, unless it started to hamper his treatment of Donatello.

"It's a concussion, you shellbrain!" Raph snarled, which caused Mikey to let out a whiny, little sniveling sound. This, in turn, instantly made Raph out to be the bad guy . . . _as usual_.

"Raphael!" Master Splinter scolded, but he did not peel his eyes away from Donatello as he admonished his second oldest son. He then released his hold on Donatello's hand so that he could curl a paw over his wounded son's sweat-sheened brow. The rat's long face creased into a grim frown. "Your brother's temperature is far too high. What can you tell me of his fever?"

"I think Leo should answer that one," Raph said with a scornful sneer directed at his older brother.

Leonardo was presently kneeling on the couch, inclining his upper body over Donnie's fragile frame, ready to assist Master Splinter at a second's notice.

Though the fearless leader's nose was green, Raphael had always thought that it would have been much more fitting if the oldest turtle would have been born with a brown nose instead, given how much Leonardo strove to please their father at _all_ times.

"Donnie had a fever before he left the lair. He told me that it was from the electric shocks he had received and he said that he had taken a few aspirin for it," Leonardo clarified, figuring that he'd better just come right out and tell Master Splinter the truth about what had happened. It was either that or Raph would, and Leo knew that his immediate younger brother wouldn't be able to leave out his extreme prejudice when retelling the events of the evening.

"I see," Master Splinter said, clearly skeptical, but he did not voice his opinion on the matter.

The brothers couldn't stand it when their father used the words "I see" as a standalone sentence. It was basically the equivalent of Master Splinter telling them that he didn't trust them.

In this case, it was probably warranted . . .

"Michelangelo, you said that Donatello told you he had a concussion? How could he tell you this if he was unconscious?" Master Splinter asked placidly as he pried Donatello's eyes open to check his pupils.

"Well . . . he woke up a couple of times, actually. After he came to the first time, he told us that he had a . . . concussion. It was from Rahzar throwing him into a wall. Then, he told us that we shouldn't let him fall asleep . . . but we did. And now . . . well, now we can't get him to wake back up. I tried the whole way home to get him to open his eyes up, Sensei, but he wouldn't. Not even when I begged him to," Mikey whimpered, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. His blue eyes pooled with moisture as he stared down at his genius brother.

"It's okay, Mikey. Donnie's going to be just fine. Right, Sensei?" Leo asked, not as certain as he probably should have sounded if he was truly attempting to calm Michelangelo down.

"No! It's not gonna be okay, Leo! This is all my fault!" Mikey wailed, clutching his head in his hands as he began to rock back and forth.

"Your fault? How do you figure that?" Leo asked with a baffled expression.

"When you and I were fighting Rahzar," Mikey started, pointing to Leo to indicate who the 'you' he was referring to was before continuing. "I wished that Raph and Donnie were with us, because we were totally getting creamed and I thought we could really use their help. But then, my wish actually came true. And because I made that stupid wish, Donnie got hurt again . . . " Mikey said, acting as if his heart was broken beyond repair.

"What? Are you freakin' serious? That is the dumbest – " Raphael started, but a harsh scowl from Master Splinter caused the hothead to stop midsentence and bow his head in submission.

"Mikey, none of this is your fault. You didn't wish for Donnie to get hurt. We all know that you would never do anything to hurt Donnie," Leonardo corrected Mikey with a lulling voice, and then, the oldest turtle turned to glare at his brother in red who was currently standing just off to Mikey and Master Splinter's left.

Raph happily returned Leo's glare, putting as much animosity into the expression as he could, which only pushed his older brother to say what he did next.

"This is your fault, Raph!" Leo venomously accused his temperamental brother.

"My fault? I seem to remember _you_ being the one who started this whole disastrous evening. Do the words 'try harder' ring any bells? And let's not forget _you_ letting Donnie leave the lair when you knew something was wrong with him! None of this would have happened if it weren't for _you_!" Raph growled, stalking towards Leo, who promptly rose to his feet to accept the incoming challenge.

"Oh, you're one to talk! I wasn't the one who kept goading and pushing Bradford to hurt Donnie! And I wasn't the one who told Donnie that he was stupid right to his face! And I certainly wasn't the one who carelessly left Donnie in that warehouse when I was supposed to be protecting him! You know, if I didn't know any better, I could have sworn that you wanted Bradford to hurt Donnie! Was that your plan, Raph? Did you want Bradford to hurt our brother, and then, turn him over to the Shredder?" Leo growled right back at his red-clad brother and every muscle in the eldest turtle's body went rigid with sheer anger. Leo's words had been sharp and bitter, strictly intended to cut into Raph as deeply as possible. It wasn't like Leo to say something to purposely wound someone, but Raph had pushed him too far this time. Even calm and composed Leo had his boiling point.

Raph cracked every joint in his body that he could, gearing up for a fight. He gave his older brother a look that would have made Mikey and Donnie run in fear, but Leo stood his ground. If anything, the look just made him even madder than before.

"That is enough!" Master Splinter said in a firm tone as he momentarily pulled his attention away from his injured son to focus on his two feuding sons, but Leonardo and Raphael were too caught up in their rage and loathing to hear their father's warning.

"I _never_ wanted that monster to hurt him!" Raphael paused for a moment to steady himself, knowing that he was coming perilously close to hauling off and punching Leo in the beak. Something that Master Splinter would surely disapprove of. "And there was no way in shell I was gonna let him take our little brother! I would give my life to protect Donnie! Not that I should have to defend myself to you! For the past few weeks, you've done everything possible to convince Donnie that you don't care about him! That's why he ran away in the first place!" Raphael snarled, clenching and unclenching his hands. He was about to start using Leo as his new practice dummy.

"That still doesn't explain why you disobeyed my orders and deliberately put our brother's life in danger! You put your anger and your need for revenge over our brother! You're nothing but a walking time bomb, Raph, and anyone who gets too close to you gets hurt! And now, Donnie's paying the price for your recklessness!" Leonardo shouted with far more resentment than Raphael ever remembered hearing from his older brother. The feeling was mutual.

Raph was about to brutally counterattack, but seconds later, he was physically rendered incapable of doing so. Not by Leo, but by his now-standing father.

His now-standing, very irate father . . .

Master Splinter reached out and sunk the tips of his forefingers into pressure points in each of his two oldest sons' necks, effectively disabling them.

Leonardo and Raphael immediately dropped to their knees, no longer in control of their own movements, nor their ability to insult one another. Their muscles involuntarily spasmed as their eyes crossed and bulged out from the crippling pain that was relentlessly coursing through them.

"Damare!" Master Splinter hollered with such force, it was a wonder that he didn't bring the whole sewer system tumbling down upon them.

Mikey flinched at the sound while Leo and Raph just went on with their uncontrolled twitching, unable to do anything else.

"Michelangelo, would you please fetch me a large bowl of lukewarm water and some clean dishcloths from the kitchen?" Master Splinter asked serenely while his fingers continued to keep his two oldest boys incapacitated on each side of him.

Mikey nodded his understanding and gave his big brothers a sympathetic grimace before rushing off to complete his assigned task. The youngest brother had been the unlucky recipient of Master Splinter's pressure point methods on many occasions. He knew from experience just how excruciating their father's thorough understanding of the central nervous system could be.

Once Michelangelo had disappeared into the kitchen, Master Splinter released the tension that he had been applying to his two oldest sons' necks. Both turtles toppled forward, placing their hands on the floor just in time to stop themselves from doing a face-plant.

"Now, I trust that you two will be able to peacefully answer any further questions that I might have regarding this matter," Master Splinter said with more than a hint of acidity lacing his words. He pinched his long, white beard between his fingers as he waited for his sons to respond.

"Hai, Sensei," both Leonardo and Raphael mumbled in accordance.

Confident that his sons no longer posed a threat to one another, Master Splinter lowered himself back down to the floor and leaned over Donatello's still-unconscious form.

Leonardo quickly knelt down beside his father, while Raph stayed standing just behind him, still fighting to rein in his anger.

"Is Donnie going to be all right, Sensei?" Leonardo asked with a much more downcast voice than moments before, clearly stricken with guilt. Master Splinter could see the burden of being the leader weighing heavily on his young son and the remorse in the boy's eyes was now plain to see.

When Leonardo had willingly taken on the responsibility of being the leader of his brothers, the eldest turtle had also – perhaps unknowingly at the time – accepted the obligation and the pressure of being the one accountable for keeping his brothers together and safe above all else. It was a duty that Leonardo had not taken lightly since assuming his role as leader. Master Splinter had observed the strain that this role oftentimes placed on his oldest son as he struggled to keep his three brothers aligned and maintain balance. Master Splinter suspected that this constant strain was the reason behind his oldest son's unpredictable outburst towards Raphael just now.

Of course, it was just as likely that Leonardo had simply lost his temper because Raphael could be . . . socially unmanageable. Master Splinter loved all of his sons equally and devoutly, but he was well aware that his boys were not perfect and some of his children were harder to deal with than others. Raphael especially . . . Master Splinter could only imagine the many hardships that Leonardo had to endure while trying to keep his younger brothers focused and united when they were away from the lair. Getting them to follow his commands was most likely no easy task for the young leader. Especially since his three brothers did not fear and respect Leonardo the way that they did their father.

Master Splinter gave Leonardo a somber expression before he turned his dark eyes back towards Donatello.

"There is no sign of a skull fracture. Your brother's pupils appear to be normal and they are reacting to light as they should, but I am most troubled by his lack of responsiveness and his fever. If Donatello took something to lower his temperature, it is evident that it is not working as he had hoped," Master Splinter revealed, inadvertently letting his growing apprehension show in his voice and on his face.

That apprehension was definitely not what Leonardo needed to hear or see from his father. What he really needed was for Master Splinter to be a tower of strength so that some of that fortitude might rub off on him, because, right now, Leo was finding it hard to be the rock that his brothers all required him to be.

Master Splinter must have sensed Leonardo's internal struggle, for he quickly offered words of optimism.

"We must have faith in your brother, Leonardo. Donatello is much stronger than you think, but he will need us to lend him our strength as well," Master Splinter said solemnly, resting his paw against Donatello's plastron.

It was at this point that Mikey came hurrying back into the room, and, in his haste, he nearly spilled half of the water that he had just retrieved. Hence the reason that Master Splinter had requested a large bowl. He had realized in advance that his most enthusiastic son would undoubtedly lose a good portion of the water on his way back into the room.

Master Splinter couldn't help but to let a small smile escape his defenses when he looked up and saw that Michelangelo had at least a dozen dishcloths draped over his shoulders, presumably so that his hands were free to clumsily try to balance the bowl of sloshing water in front of him.

Raph was just about to make a snide remark about Mikey's little circus act when he thought better of it. He was already on Sensei's bad side as it was. There was no need to go pushing his luck.

"I got every washcloth I could find!" Mikey crowed, quite proud of what really wasn't all that impressive of a feat.

Again, Raph had to bite back a snide remark.

"Excellent work, Michelangelo. Now, could you please place a damp dishcloth over Donatello's forehead to help make him feel more comfortable? Be sure to wring out the dishcloth thoroughly before putting it on your brother's head, my son," Master Splinter instructed, knowing that if he didn't give specific directions to his youngest son, Michelangelo would slap a soaking wet washcloth on his older brother's head.

"No problem, Sensei. I got this!" Mikey exclaimed, setting the bowl of water down on the floor and eagerly getting right to work on fulfilling his father's request.

Raph couldn't hold his tongue for a single second longer. The temptation was just too much to resist.

"You sure you can handle it, water boy?" Raph probed, quite amused with himself. It was _so_ worth the incensed glares that he received from both Master Splinter and Leo.

"If Raphael is quite finished, I would like for someone to tell me what has happened to Donatello's leg," Master Splinter said, motioning towards the bulky splint strapped around his second youngest son's lower leg.

Raphael's sense of humor was instantly nonexistent, quickly replaced by rage when he was reminded of Donnie's ankle injury. "Bradford . . . He wanted Donnie to change him into a human again. That's why he captured him. Then, he used Donnie as a hostage and tried to bust his ankle when Leo and I got too close to him," Raph answered, not making any attempt to hide his hatred towards the mutant that had injured his brother.

Master Splinter detected that something Raphael had just said had caused Leonardo's anger to flare-up again as well, but he did not believe that the cause of Leonardo's anger was the same as Raphael's. Master Splinter made a mental note to question Leonardo about the reaction at a later time.

"And did he succeed in breaking the ankle?" Master Splinter asked, struggling to keep his voice neutral. He had found that the more information that came to light, the more difficult it was becoming for him to keep his frustration in check. No father should have to hear that his child had been captured, attacked, thrown into a wall, held hostage, and even tortured . . .

 _My poor son . . ._

It was obvious to Leonardo that their Sensei was holding something back. What it was, the eldest turtle could not tell. That was because his father was an aficionado of censoring emotions.

"I . . . I'm not sure if it's broken. I don't think so, but it was hard to tell with all of the swelling. Mikey and I splinted it before we left the warehouse," Leo informed his father, watching intently as Master Splinter began to peel away the wraps holding the splint around Donnie's ankle in place.

The ankle was almost doubled in size at this point, and that was saying a lot, because a mutated turtle's ankles were already far bigger than the average human's.

Seeing how badly swollen his gentlest son's ankle was, Master Splinter shook his head from side to side and a low growl rumbled in the back of his throat. It was the first time that Leonardo had seen or heard his father show disgust over Donatello's condition, but he suspected that his Sensei had been keeping this disgust suppressed inside the whole time. His father's next words confirmed Leonardo's suspicions.

"Would it have been too much to ask that _one_ of you call your own father to let him know what was going on?" Master Splinter asked and his voice had noticeably escalated in volume as he posed the question. The fusion of irritation and disappointment imprinted on his face was clear to see.

All three healthy turtles suddenly looked as though they, too, were going to be physically ill. Their heads dipped down in shame over their lack of communication. They had left their father behind to worry the entire time that they had been topside, not bothering to provide him with any kind of an update.

Desperate to make atonement, Leo mulled over the idea of telling Master Splinter that he had been about to call him when Raph had distracted him from doing so by assaulting Donnie's face, but, in the end, the turtle in blue opted not to disclose this information. Indulging himself in the gratification of tattling on Raph for slapping Donnie would have been nothing but vengeful and juvenile. Such a petty tactic would not have improved matters any, and, at this point, Leo just wanted to save what dignity he could.

"Master Splinter, I think Donnie's fever is getting worse! He's shaking so bad, his shell's gonna fall right off!" Mikey announced in his usual over-the-top fashion. His eyes looked like they were about to pop right out of their sockets and he was flailing his hands around as though he didn't know what to do with them.

"We need to bring down your brother's temperature," Master Splinter stated calmly, but there was noticeable urgency behind his words. He had already started reattaching the splint to Donatello's ankle, which informed his other sons that reducing their wounded brother's elevated body temperature took precedence for the time being.

"Master Splinter, do you think that the Healing Hands technique might help lower Donnie's fever? Or maybe one of your other ancient mantras could help him," Leo suggested, just like when he had recommended using the Healing Hands on Karai earlier in the evening.

Closing his eyes for a few drawn-out seconds, Master Splinter tried unsuccessfully to push his memories of the last time that he had seen Miwa out of his mind. His daughter's fate was still unknown and the fear that he may never see her again was more than he could bear. He had only been able to watch helplessly as his oldest child had been sucked down into the whirling vortex of the sewers below him. She had been swept away by the current before he had known whether or not the Healing Hands he had administered to her had worked.

He remembered that moment all too well . . . It felt as though he had lost his daughter all over again.

However, there was something else he remembered about that moment. Something that his oldest son had said to him.

Just when all had seemed lost, Leonardo had told him that the greatest lesson he had ever taught him as a child was to never give up hope.

 _Never give up hope . . ._

And so the student had become the teacher . . .

Even if the Healing Hands may not have been able to save his Miwa, if there was even the slightest chance that the technique could help Donatello, Master Splinter had to try. He could not risk potentially losing another child this night because of his fear and his sorrow. His faith had been shaken, but hope was not lost. He would not let his grief over what had happened to his beloved daughter cloud his judgment. Not when his second youngest son needed him so very badly right now.

"Yes . . . Yes, it is possible that the mantra could help Donatello," Master Splinter said whisper-soft as he lovingly peered down at his unwell son. He then hooked one arm underneath Donatello's knees and wrapped his other arm around his son's carapace before gently lifting the wounded turtle up off of the couch in a bridal-style carry. Donatello's arm that was not pinned against his father's kimoto was dangling straight towards the floor and his head flopped limply to the side, landing on his father's shoulder. Seeing Donatello cradled in their father's arms like a small child made his family realize just how frail and thin the genius turtle truly looked.

One glance at his immediate older brother made Michelangelo look away to keep from crying, but his two oldest brothers could not tear their eyes off of Donatello's sleeping form.

Master Splinter took a moment or two to gather his dissolving composure before he began to carry Donatello towards the Dojo. His other three sons followed his path in single file formation until Master Splinter unexpectedly stopped and turned back towards them. Luckily, all three boys had been paying attention or they would have plowed right into their father.

"Michelangelo, would you please accompany me to the Dojo? Leonardo and Raphael, you are to stay out here until the procedure is complete," Master Splinter bade as he pulled Donatello closer to him in an effort to pass off some of his body heat onto his ailing son. He hoped that it might stop his child from shivering so violently.

Shocked to hear that he had been the only one summoned to the Dojo by his father, Michelangelo's head poked out from behind Raph so that he could stare up at Master Splinter in shock. The youngest turtle's blue eyes were widened with both amazement and disbelief. Leonardo and Raphael's eyes were also wider than normal, for they had been just as shocked as Mikey – if not more so – by what their father had just said.

"Wait! What? Sensei, with all due respect, don't you think that I should be the one to assist you with administering the Healing Hands to Donnie? I mean, I am the only one trained to use the mantra," Leonardo said with an air of arrogance that Master Splinter had not expected. Whether or not Leonardo had intended to make his other two brothers sound incompetent, Master Splinter did not know, but he imagined that Raphael and Michelangelo were not at all that pleased by the insinuation.

"Yes, what you say is true, Leonardo. However, I would like for Michelangelo to assist me with the technique," Master Splinter said unwaveringly, not offering up any further explanation as to why he had chosen his youngest son. His decision had been made and he thought that he had made himself clear enough, but Leonardo apparently did not get the message, for still, he questioned his choice.

Sometimes, Leonardo's resolve amazed Master Splinter. This was not one of those times.

"But, Sensei, I – " Leonardo began, but he was not allowed to get very far.

"Shizukani!" Master Splinter thundered, startling all three of his standing sons. They recoiled from the unforeseen roar that had erupted from their normally impassive father.

His sons' timorous reactions immediately made Master Splinter regret allowing his anger to fester and bubble to the surface. He had most certainly not intended for his temper to manifest itself in such a deafening form. He softened his tone, but the sternness was still there. "My decision is final and it is not to be questioned any further. Michelangelo will assist me. Leonardo and Raphael, you will remain out here. Am I understood?"

"Hai, Sensei," came Leonardo and Raphael's defeated responses and they both stepped aside to let their youngest brother through. Taking full advantage of the opening that his two oldest brothers had created, Michelangelo strutted past them in grandiose fashion with a smug grin plastered on his face, clearly taunting them. Both Leonardo and Raphael had to bite their tongues, not sure if the small amount of satisfaction they would derive from insulting Mikey was worth the punishment that would surely result.

Master Splinter narrowed his eyes on Leonardo and Raphael, who were clearly brooding over his decision.

"Perhaps this will give the two of you some much-needed time to think about what you have done so that you might learn from your mistakes. I would strongly suggest that you start by renouncing your fixation on who is to blame for all of this and focus your attention on what is truly important here. Your brother does not need your anger or your negativity getting in the way of his recovery," Master Splinter said, knowing full-well his words would cut deep.

And cut deep those words had . . .

Anyone with eyes could see the shame written on the two oldest brothers' faces. What Master Splinter had said was hurtful to hear, but only because the words had rang so painfully true. They had let Donnie down in the worst way. Instead of working together to help their brother when he had needed them most, they had let their bitterness and hostility towards one another get in the way of aiding their brother. If Master Splinter wouldn't have stopped their argument just a few moments ago, they probably would have duked it out right next to where their little brother had been lying unconscious on the couch.

Leonardo and Raphael stared at their injured brother, who was still lying slack in Master Splinter's arms. It had been almost a half hour since Donatello had shown any signs of responsiveness and that terrified them to no end. Especially knowing that their genius brother had told them that they needed to keep him awake . . .

 _"Yeah, we're guessing you have a concussion. What should we do for that?"_

 _"Not much . . . can do . . . Keep 'wake . . . in case . . . "_

 _"In case what?"_

Donnie had never answered Raph's question, "In case what?" So now, the two oldest brothers were left to dread just what exactly "in case" had meant.

While Leonardo and Raphael were mentally freaking themselves out, Master Splinter stood wordlessly before them, still cradling his second youngest son in his protective arms. He waited there for over a full minute before concluding that he must have finally gotten his point across when no further protest came from his two older boys.

Master Splinter was about to walk away when he decided that it was necessary to bestow one final bit of wisdom.

"Oh, and Raphael . . . I highly recommend that you take a long, hot shower. We may live in the sewers, but that does not make it acceptable to disregard one's personal hygiene. Some of us down here have an extremely sensitive sense of smell," Master Splinter noted before making his way into the Dojo with Michelangelo right on his tail.

Raph grunted in response and crisscrossed his arms over his chest in a huff.

In spite of the dark circumstances, Leo couldn't hold back a snicker over his father's last jab. The oldest brother knew that his father had a wicked sense of humor, but, because of his rather serious nature, it very rarely came out. However, when it did, look out . . .

Raph wasn't quite as entertained by what Master Splinter had said as Leo had been, which came as no great shock.

"What are you laughing at, Chuckles?" Raph growled and his body language told Leo that his brother was once again on the cusp of blowing up.

"Me? Uh, n – nothing. Nothing at all," Leo said casually as he took a seat on the couch and picked up a "From the Sewer" comic book that Mikey had carelessly – now conveniently – left lying there. Leo immediately hid his face behind the pages of the publication, going out of his way to avoid Raph's glare. Even if Leo couldn't actually see the angry expression on Raph's face, he knew it was there. He could tell just by the way that his brother was heavily breathing.

Realizing that there was no way he would be able to deal with his anger in a constructive manner at this point, Raph stormed off towards the bathroom. Not just to wash off, but also to cool down.

Casting aside the comic book that he had been using as a prop to cower behind, Leo breathed out a sigh of relief as he watched his confrontational brother stomp away. The last thing that Leo needed right now was to instigate another quarrel with Raph. Not when Master Splinter had just chewed them out for being more focused on blaming each than on their wounded brother.

 _Oh, Donnie . . ._

With gloomy blue eyes, Leo gazed up at the soft green glow filtering out through the folding partitions in the Dojo and sighed loudly. He wanted so much just to go in there and help Donnie, but Leo had lost that privilege when he had let his anger come before his brother.

He was now forced to play the waiting game. A game that he had never much liked, but never before had he hated it as much as he did at this very moment.

Resting his elbow pads on his thighs and submerging his face in his unsteady hands, Leonardo attempted to stifle a yawn. He was so tired, he could barely even maintain the sitting position that he was in, but he refused to sleep until he knew that his second youngest brother was going to be okay.

A sob got caught in Leo's steadily constricting throat.

 _Donnie is going to be okay_ . . . _He has to be okay_ , Leo tried to convince himself, but there was still that nagging voice in the back of his head once again reminding him of what Donnie had said about his concussion.

 _"Not much . . . can do . . . Keep 'wake . . . in case . . . "_

That same nagging voice in the back of his head kept asking him the same thing, over and over again.

 _In case what, Donnie? In case what?_

* * *

 ** _To be continued . . ._**

 ** _*Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading. Please continue to favorite/follow/review if you like this story. I would love to hear from you. Thanks, again! ;) CJ_**


	14. Chapter 14 - The Past is in the Present

_***Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.**_

 _ ***Author's Notes: Chapter 14 of 'You're Needed Here Now, Donnie' is up and it is a very emotional one. I would like to point out to 'YNHND Fanatic' that this chapter will finally reveal what you asked me about way back in chapter 8 (something that was briefly alluded to in that chapter, but never elaborated on). Hopefully, you're still reading . . . I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the big revelation in this chapter was worth the wait. ;)**_

 _ **I would like to thank all of you who have taken the time to read, review, favorite, and follow me and my stories. I truly appreciate it. If you like this story or any of my other stories, please continue to favorite/follow/review them so I know that you like them. I would love the feedback and it is always nice to know if people are still reading.**_

 _ **And now, on with the story . . . ;) CJ**_

* * *

 **Chapter 14 – The Past is in the Present**

Patience had never been one of Raphael's virtues. That much they all knew, but waiting around for Master Splinter and Mikey to come out of the Dojo was the worst torture imaginable for the most irritable turtle. It was even worse than that time that Raph was trapped in a Kraang detention cell with Mikey right after the youngest turtle had downed a jumbo milkshake and eaten three shredded beef burritos loaded with extra cheese and refried beans. Well . . . maybe it wasn't worse than that, but it ranked right up there.

After his quick shower, Raph had returned to the main living space of the lair smelling much better, but his mood hadn't improved a whole lot. Of course, with Raph it was kind of hard to tell if his mood had improved, since he was pretty much always grumpy.

The first thing that Raph had done when he rejoined Leo in the pit was drop down into the beanbag chair next to the couch so he could sulk like a little kid, something that he constantly criticized Mikey for. The second thing that Raph had done upon his arrival was glare over at the Dojo every thirty seconds or so, which didn't seem to be accomplishing all that much. The third thing that he had done was to commence punching the couch at random intervals, as if the couch was somehow at fault for his suffering.

Leo had chosen not to comment on Raph's mistreatment of the furniture, figuring it was better that his brother was taking his wrath out on the couch rather than on him.

For the first ten minutes after Raph's reappearance, not much as far as verbal exchanges had taken place, save for a few two to three word questions and answers that had been uttered just to get Raph up to speed.

After the first ten minutes had passed by in peace, the complaining started . . .

Leo should have known that the silence wouldn't last.

"This is ridiculous! How much longer are they gonna be in there? What has it been? Like an hour?" Raph seethed, tossing his hands in the air to demonstrate his frustration.

Closing his eyes and massaging his fingertips against his throbbing temples for a lingering moment, Leo inhaled and exhaled deeply through his nose as he attempted to harness his inner peace before responding to his brother's questions. He looked over at Raph with a tranquil expression, so as not to agitate his already riled up younger brother. "I think it's only been about twenty-five minutes."

"Really?" Raph asked, taking Leo's answer surprisingly well.

 _Maybe the shower had improved his mood after all . . ._

"Yeah, and the only reason I know that is because I keep checking the time on my phone every couple of seconds," Leo said dryly, holding up his phone and shaking it for added effect.

A slight smirk passed Raph's features before his trademark scowl returned.

"Well, shouldn't twenty-five minutes be plenty of time to do the whole 'Healing Hands' thing? I mean, Donnie should be better by now, right?" Raph asked and Leo got the impression that his brother was fishing for reassurance, which was something Leo didn't remember Raph ever doing. Mikey, yes. Donnie, sometimes. Raph, never. That's when Leo realized just how upset Raph really was.

"Donnie's going to be okay, Raph," Leo said, trying to convince Raph that everything was going to be all right, but Leo wondered if he was really just trying to convince himself.

An unnerving hush fell over the lair as both brothers fought to keep their composure from faltering. What made the hush even more unsettling was that there was not a single sound coming from inside of the Dojo. Not even their noisy and unruly baby brother could be heard through the thin partitions separating the rooms. Up until now, Raph and Leo had never thought that Mikey was capable of keeping quiet for that long. Not even in his sleep . . .

Finally, Raph couldn't take the silence anymore.

"I can't do this again, Leo," Raph said in a voice much softer than Leo was used to hearing from his foul-tempered brother.

The unexpected change in Raph's tone captured Leo's attention and he looked over at his younger brother, who was hunched over in the beanbag chair with his knees drawn up so that he could rest his wrist pads on them. His emerald green eyes were narrowed into crescent shapes and his lips were turned down into a thin, pointy frown. He was staring at his feet with a bleak expression, shoulders sinking right along with his spirits.

Hearing and seeing how much Raph was hurting inside, the big brother part of Leonardo felt obligated to comfort his little brother, even if that little brother was the one who hated to be comforted. Leo scooted himself sideways along the couch until he was right beside Raph, and then, he hesitantly placed a hand on top of the red-clad turtle's shoulder in an effort to provide emotional support to his brother in need. It felt a little awkward at first, since Raph wasn't real keen on displays of affection. Especially those that involved actual physical contact . . . Both turtles had tensed up at the gesture, but eventually, Raph accepted the simple act of kindness for what it was and let his muscles relax under Leo's grasp, which, in turn, helped Leo to relax. At least Raph hadn't punched him . . .

 _Well, not yet anyways._

Leo couldn't help but to wonder what Raph had meant by the words 'I can't do this again.' The oldest turtle thought that maybe his brother was referring back to the time when Snakeweed had hurt Mikey, but, then again, he could have been referring to when they had thought that they had lost Master Splinter. There was also the possibility that he was talking about the time that Leo had been unconscious for three months . . .

Without further clarification, Leo had no way of knowing just what crisis his brother had been referring to. There were too many possibilities to choose from. Leo opted to keep his next comment generic so it applied to any of those scenarios, just to be safe.

"Whatever happens, we will get through this together, as a family," Leo said, knowing perfectly well it sounded a bit stale and old-fashioned, but it was the best that he could come up with on such short notice and so little sleep.

"I can't get through this, Leo. I can't watch him almost die again. I just can't," Raph said, turning his head away from Leo, ashamed that he was letting his emotions show like this.

That response sparked Leo's curiosity and left him feeling even more confused than before. Raph was afraid of watching Donnie almost die again?

 _Again_? _When had Raph watched Donnie almost die?_ Leo thought _._

Sure, there were plenty of times that the genius had _almost_ been seriously injured – Tiger Claw just about stabbing him with one of Raph's sais, a support post nearly falling on his head, Shredder almost skewering him with his gauntlet blades, a near-fatal fall into a giant fan, Slash trying to bash his shell in, tumbling from a high-speed moving vehicle (multiple times), Leatherhead attempting to snap his neck (again . . . multiple times), just about getting plowed into by the Shellraiser, WingNut (aka Kirby O'Neil) sending him freefalling from an alarming height into a building, Savanti Romero trying to fry him, etc. The list went on and on, but none of those incidents rationalized Raph acting like this.

Leo continued to rack his brain for possibilities, but he was quickly running out of theories. There was the time that Donnie had temporarily stopped breathing when the Dream Beavers had drained most of his life force, but Raph hadn't actually watched that happen. He had been trapped in the same dream as Donnie at the time. Perhaps Leo wasn't thinking back far enough . . . Maybe Raph was referring to that time when they were toddlers and Donnie had nearly drowned. Or maybe Raph was thinking about the time a few years ago that Donnie had come down with that bad case of pneumonia. But that was so long ago. Leo couldn't imagine that Raph was still this traumatized by something that had happened that far back in the past.

When Leo didn't respond for what felt like an eternity, Raph turned to look up at his older brother. He could see Leo's perplexed expression and he could tell that the wheels in the eldest turtle's head were spinning, trying to make sense of things.

When Raph gazed up at Leo, it was then that the turtle in blue saw a telltale expression wash over his younger brother's face. Leo's heart immediately began to pound harder in his chest.

"What aren't you telling me?" Leonardo asked bluntly, knowing precisely what that uneasy expression on Raphael's face meant. All three of Leo's brothers were guilty of using that same expression when they were trying to hide something from him.

"Leo . . . Donnie would kill me if I told you . . . " Raph left the sentence hanging, clearly torn on whether or not to blow somebody's cover.

"Told me what?" Leo snapped, losing his patience almost as quickly as Raph would have if he would have found out that his brothers were keeping secrets from him.

An odd rumbling noise rattled around in the recesses of Raph's throat as he seemed to resign to his fate. He let out an audible sigh before starting. "Back at the farmhouse, when you were unconscious . . . things . . . well, they got really bad," Raph muttered with a lower voice than normal and his gaze drifted to the floor. He rubbed a hand up and down his forearm, which confirmed that what he was about to tell Leo was going to be unpleasant.

"Bad how?" Leo grimaced, afraid of what Raph's answer was going to be.

Raph roughly cleared his throat before answering the question, but clearing his throat didn't make what he had to say come out any easier. "We, uh . . . We almost lost Donnie, too," Raph said with more regret than Leo had ever heard come from his thick-skinned brother.

"What?" Leo cried out, unable to disguise his distress.

Holding a forefinger up to his lips, Raph shushed his older brother, knowing that no good could possibly come from them breaking Master Splinter's concentration right now.

"That's exactly why Donnie asked us not to tell you what happened. He knew it would just upset you. He didn't want it to hinder your recovery in any way," Raph said, not all that convincingly.

This time, when Leo responded, he minded his volume, but the distress was still present.

"So you lied to me? This whole time?" Leo asked incredulously, as though he was naïve enough to believe that his brothers had never lied to him before when he knew for a fact that just last week Mikey had lied to his face about Ice Cream Kitty being the one who had broken the ball shooter on his prized Space Heroes Pinball machine.

"We didn't lie to you. We just left out a few details . . . " Raph said, doing his best to downplay the situation as much as he could. It didn't work. Leo was still getting his bandana in a twist.

"Oh, you mean like Donnie almost _dying_?" Leo hissed, curling his hands at his sides the way that Raph always did when he was about to punch something.

"Like I said, Donnie didn't want us to tell you because he knew you would overreact like this. He didn't want you worrying about him. He wanted you to focus on getting better," Raph explained, feeling as though he was somehow the bad guy here. In a way, he guessed he was. He knew that if his brothers would have kept him in the dark about something like this for so long, he would have been furious about it, too.

"How am I overreacting? You guys waited for months to tell me that Donnie almost died while I was in a coma!" Leo seethed, trying to keep his voice down so as not to disturb Master Splinter, but it was hard as shell to keep one's voice down when all you felt like doing was screaming at the top of your lungs.

Reminding himself that he could not lose his temper again, Leo drew in a purifying breath before softly saying, "Why don't you just tell me what happened?"

There was a long silence before Raph found the control needed to respond.

"A couple of days after we left the city, Donnie started acting weird. Well, weirder than normal that is. He spent most of his time cooped up in that rundown, old barn, setting up a new lab. The only time he would come out of the barn would be to check on you and occasionally sleep. When he was inside of the farmhouse, he would barely say two words to any of us and he walked around like he was a freakin' zombie. After about a week, he started avoiding us altogether. He'd spend all day and night stowed away in that little lab of his . . . " Raph paused his retelling of the events for a moment.

Leo wasn't sure what the exact reason was for Raphael's break in the proceedings, but he was willing to wager that it was a sign that the story was going to get much darker. Not wanting to push his least talkative brother, Leo waited patiently for Raph to begin again, lending his younger brother the time that he needed as well as his undivided attention.

"Donnie . . . He blamed himself for you getting hurt and everything else that went wrong. All because of that stupid fight you guys had over leaving the city or the Turtle Mech or whatever it was about . . . " There was a tinge of irritation in Raph's voice, but he pushed it aside as he continued on with his account.

"Anyway, he started obsessing over finding a way to make you better. Typical Donnie, thinking he was responsible for fixing everything. He worked around-the-clock on making that elixir for you. He stopped eating and sleeping, just like he did that time after we had to deepfreeze 'The Pulverizer.' To make matters worse, he had stopped taking care of the wound on his arm. I was so busy keeping vigil over you that I didn't even notice he was doing it. I didn't see that there was something wrong with him. Or maybe I did and I didn't even care . . . " Raph paused for another moment before moving on.

"Then, one night, Mikey went out to the barn to bring Donnie something to eat. That's when . . . that's when he found Donnie lying there," Raph said, voice cracking of its own freewill.

Leo's eyes went wide with awe and his mouth opened as if he was going to say something, but nothing came out. Leo was still trying to get over the initial shock of finding out that his genius brother had almost died, and now, _this_ . . . Donnie had blamed himself for what had happened to him. He had blamed himself this entire time. That was the most preposterous thing Leo had ever heard.

Raph continued on with the story, unaware of Leo's internal turmoil and the fact that he had rendered his older brother speechless by what he had said.

"I was upstairs with you at the time. I remember hearing Mikey running into the farmhouse, screaming that something was wrong with Donnie and that he couldn't wake him up. The fear in his voice . . . it was something I will never forget. Mikey was a total wreck. I mean, I know that Mikey gets all worked up on a regular basis, but this . . . this was something more. This was full-fledged panic. That's how I knew it was bad," Raph said, looking at Leo so that he could read his expression. He could see that his older brother was feeling a bit overwhelmed.

And Raph hadn't even gotten to the worst of it yet . . .

"While April tried to console Mikey, Casey and I rushed out to the barn. That's when we found Donnie, convulsing on the ground. He was having some kind of a seizure. It was the scariest thing I've ever seen . . . " Raph's voice tapered off into next to nothing. He swept the back of one hand across his eyes to wipe away any tears the may have accumulated without his say-so.

"Raph . . . I can't even imagine how horrible that must have been . . . So, what did you do?" Leo asked, now leaning on the edge of his seat. He could see the pain residing in Raph's eyes as he agonized over the memory of nearly losing not one, but two brothers. A part of Leo wanted to reach out and take hold of Raph's hand to console him, but the leader's commonsense side told him that that probably wasn't the safest course of action to take. He, instead, slid down to the floor and knelt directly in front of Raph so that he could better see him.

"That's just it. I didn't have a clue what to do for him. I'm no doctor. You know that. I was totally useless. The only thing I could think of was to hold him as still as possible until he stopped jerking around . . . which took forever. I thought we were gonna lose him right there and then . . . " Raph swallowed thickly before resuming.

"Once the seizure was over, we hauled Donnie into the farmhouse and laid him out on the couch. He wasn't responding to anything we did and I could tell that he was running a fever, but I didn't realize how high it was until April checked his temp and it was a hundred and four. I noticed a red mark on his arm above the bandages covering the wound from where Mikey said the Kraang laser hit him. When I removed the bandages from his arm, it was obvious that the burn was seriously infected. What's worse, was that not one of us knew what to do about it. Without Donnie or Master Splinter's medical know-how . . . or even yours, for that matter, we were completely lost. None of us knew how to help him," Raph said, raking his hands down his face. He had thought that keeping the experience a secret from Leo was hard, but telling his older brother what had happened was far worse. Leo was looking at him with such compassion, it made Raph want to scream, or, at the very least, slap some sense into his brother. He didn't deserve his brother's kindness. Leo should have been bawling him out, not sitting there, acting like some bleeding-heart.

"I screwed up so bad, Leo. I don't how I couldn't have seen how sickly thin and pale he was. And who knows how long he laid there before any of us found him . . . "

"Raph, it wasn't your fault," Leo said, wrapping a hand around his brother's forearm and giving it a firm squeeze. He understood what Raph was feeling far better than his brother could have ever thought. Leo knew exactly what it felt like to beat yourself up inside for missing or overlooking something so obvious. He knew exactly what it felt like to feel as though you had failed your own brother in the worst possible way imaginable, for he himself had done the very same thing to Donnie. He had failed several times now to recognize that his genius brother was silently suffering and making himself sick, including the time after "The Pulverizer" incident, and now, tonight . . .

"The shell it wasn't my fault! You didn't see it, Leo! You were in a coma! You didn't see how awful he looked!" Raph spoke sharply, almost as though he resented the fact that his older brother had been in that coma when he had needed him so badly.

Leo gave Raph's arm another squeeze to remind his brother that he was there for him now, which helped to slightly calm Raph's nerves as he continued.

"I should have been paying more attention to him. I'm his big brother. I'm supposed to protect him. I should have seen that there was something wrong, but instead, I ignored him and let him make himself so sick he almost died. For all I know, he could have been unconscious in that barn for a couple of days," Raph muttered into his shoulder, having turned his head away from Leo's penetrating stare.

"I know what you're feeling, Raph. Believe me, I do, but it's not your fault. And, obviously, you found a way to help him, because he's still here," Leo said soothingly, stroking his brother's arm with his thumb. Leo now realized how hard it must have been for Raph to hear someone accuse him of failing to protect Donnie back at the warehouse. To Raph, this whole situation was probably like reliving that entire nightmarish ordeal back at the farmhouse.

If he could, Leo would take back all of the hurtful things that he had spoken to Raph this awful night in a heartbeat, but not before he had taken back what had said to Donnie to start all of this mess.

"He's still here because we _all_ worked together to save him. While April and Casey went to town and bought every kind of antibiotic and fever reducer they could get their hands on, Mikey and I cleaned the wound the best that we could and did everything we could think of to get his fever down. Mikey being Mikey buried Donnie under a mountain of blankets, thinking that would stop him from shivering. When Donnie's shaking didn't stop, Mikey was about to start pulling down all of the curtains in the farmhouse for added warmth. That's when I had to intervene," Raph said with the frailest of smiles. No one could ever accuse Hamato Michelangelo of being unenthusiastic.

"After we caked antibiotic cream all over Donnie's arm and pumped him full of fever medication, we all took shifts watching over you and Donnie. You were unconscious, but at least you were stable. Donnie wasn't so stable, which made him not so easy to look after. Despite all of our continued efforts to treat him, Donnie's fever kept climbing and he suffered another seizure, which practically gave the rest of us a seizure. Mikey started hyperventilating and just about passed out. For four days, we fought to keep Donnie's temperature down. Finally, on the fifth day, his fever broke, but he was still unresponsive. It took three more days for him to even open his eyes, and even then, he was still completely out of it. It took another couple of days for him to actually say something that made any sense," Raph said, still keeping his stare locked on his shoulder. Anything was better than having to face Leo at this moment. Raph couldn't look at him after all that he had just revealed. He was sure that Leo thought that he was nothing but a disgrace. Still, he continued on with the story, figuring he owed Leo that much.

"After another week or so, Donnie had almost made a full recovery, aside from being a little weak and underweight. Once Donnie was back on his feet, we all made a pact not to leave him alone for more than a few minutes at a time, other than bathroom breaks and when we locked him in his room at night for his mandatory eight hours of sleep, just like we did after "The Pulverizer" ordeal. As you can imagine, this drove the brainiac crazy. Especially when Casey started working on that old truck in the barn just so he could keep an eye on Donnie while he was working in his lab. Donnie had pretty much no privacy whatsoever, but he admitted that it was probably deserved."

Raph stopped to wet his lips with his tongue, suddenly feeling as though his mouth and throat were barren of moisture, but he wasn't going to let the parched sensation keep him from finishing his confession. At this point, he just wanted to get it over with . . .

"Once Donnie was pretty much back to a hundred percent, he made a promise to us that he would take better care of himself if we promised him that we wouldn't tell you about what had happened when you woke up. He didn't want to worry you over 'nothing.'" Raph hiccupped over the word 'nothing' and he had to take a short breather before picking up where he had left off.

"He later told us that he had suffered from a 'simple bacterial infection' and that the seizures were probably caused by low blood sugar or sodium, or, maybe from his elevated temperature . . . something like that. He made it sound like his brush with death was no big deal . . . but it was a big deal, Leo. It was to me. For ten days, I thought I was gonna lose two of my brothers. It was the worst ten days of my life . . . " Raph uttered, sealing his eyes shut, pushing out the few tears that had welled in his green orbs.

With that said, Leo couldn't hold back his emotions for a second longer. It was all just too much to keep inside. He lunged forward and wrapped his arms securely around his hurting younger brother. For an instant, every muscle in Raph's body froze solid, unprepared for the contact, but eventually, he thawed into the embrace. He even folded his arms around Leo's carapace and squeezed back, consenting to the gesture.

The two of them stayed that way for all of thirty seconds before Leo inadvertently ruined the moment.

"Thank you, Raph. Thank you for taking care of us," Leo mumbled into Raph's shoulder, sniveling a little.

As soon as Leo finished his expression of gratitude, Raph abruptly pushed himself out of Leo's hold and his eyes glazed over with anger. "Thank you? Were you even listening? I didn't take care of Donnie! Not at all! From the moment we left New York, I could tell that something was off with him, but I didn't bother to do anything about it. I just left him alone in his misery, figuring we had bigger problems on our hands than dealing with some poor little Donnie routine. Honestly, I didn't even care what was eating at him. I thought he was being a whiny, pain in the shell, just feeling sorry for himself. Now you tell me, how was that taking care of him? Where was I when he needed me? I was so obsessed with helping you, I turned my back on Donnie and basically left him to die. Just like I did back at the warehouse!" Raph howled, and then, covered his face with his trembling hands. The vision of his injured younger brother lying unconscious in their father's arms was still fresh in his mind.

Leo could see Raph's whole body shuddering as he fought with all of his strength to keep himself from breaking down.

"Raph, I know you didn't mean to hurt Donnie. I shouldn't have said all of those things to you," Leo said in a raspy, almost nonexistent voice, stricken by grief.

"No, Leo. You were right. I should have . . . I should have stayed with him. He needed me and I let him down . . . again. And now . . . now he might not ever wake up . . . all because I – " Raph started, but Leo sharply cut him off.

"Don't talk like that, Raph! Donnie is going to be just fine. He's going to fight this. Besides, when have you ever known Donnie to give up on anything or anyone?" Leo asked with as much conviction as he could muster.

"You mean aside from tonight, when he gave up on making that serum for Karai?" Raph asked with a droll smirk, but there was something lighthearted about the way that he had said it that broke the tension between them and brought a small grin to Leo's face. As Raph continued, his wry sense of humor came out in full force.

"Or how about in practice, when he folds like a house of cards less than a minute into a sparring session? Or when he runs away screaming like a girl whenever someone fires at us with lasers? Or whenever he caves in just because I crack my knuckles or look at him a certain way?"

"Yes, excluding those times," Leo said with a heavy dose of sarcasm. "My point is, when it really counts, Donnie doesn't give up, even when all hope seems lost. Remember when April said that she never wanted to see us again after we accidentally mutated her dad? Well, Donnie never gave up on April and it was that blind perseverance that saved April's life."

"Yeah, how could I forget that? He totally ditched us to go rescue his girlfriend," Raph groaned, not thinking that that was the best example Leo could have provided.

"And remember when we first met April . . . when she and her dad were kidnapped by the Kraang? Donnie was the one who insisted that we go after them. He actually talked Master Splinter into letting us return to the surface to rescue them. And then, there was the time when Donnie rebuilt Metalhead and we refused to trust the tin can because of what had happened the last time. You know, when Metalhead tried to kill us?" Leo said and his last line came out a bit snarky, but his tone softened when he added, "After Donnie reprogrammed Metalhead, he never stopped believing in him. Even when the rest of us had assumed the worst of Metalhead, Donnie stood behind him. And then, Metalhead sacrificed himself in order to save us."

Raph nodded, remembering all too well how upset Donnie had been after his prized invention was destroyed in order to save their shells. Raph could still remember the look on Donnie's face the day that they had lost Metalhead. He had looked just as devastated as the day that he had lost Timothy . . .

"And let's not forget that doofus, "The Pulverizer." Talk about a lost cause, but Donnie did everything he could to help him, even after that idiot went and signed up for the Foot clan. Donnie risked his life to save that loser from getting himself mutated or killed. Then, when "The Pulverizer" managed to turn himself into a walking blob anyway, Donnie took full responsibility for what had happened and swore to find a way to change him back," Raph said and followed with a heavy sigh. For the life of him, Raph still didn't understand why Donnie had wasted his time trying to help Timothy in the first place. The kid was a serious head case and he had no business trying to be a ninja. Raph guessed that Donnie had done it because he had always been a sucker for a sob story. That's why Raph was glad that he wasn't the nice one. There was just way too much emotional baggage that came with being nice for him to deal with . . .

Just thinking about "The Pulverizer" instantly reminded Raph of how upset Donnie had gotten after Timothy had been mutated. What was even worse, was how upset Donnie had gotten after Timothy had somehow mutated himself a second and third time. Donnie had been forced to take the crazed mutant boy down in order to save them and April. As a result of that, along with April's earlier decision to abandon them due to her father's accidental mutation, Donnie had sunk into a deep depression. The genius had literally made himself sick with his guilt, to the point that he had passed out in his lab from exhaustion and starvation. That was yet another memory Raph would just as soon forget . . .

"And what about the whole Bigfoot thing? Leave it to Donnie to go out into the woods and bring back a real, live Sasquatch because he noticed it had minor injury. I think it's safe to say that Donnie's a bit of a bleeding heart," Leo said with a mixture of pride and sadness. He was proud of his second youngest brother's fierce tenacity and loyalty, but, at the same time, Leo was sad that his brother's sentimentality and trusting nature caused him so much misery and pain. As leader, Leo understood what it felt like to carry too much weight on your shoulders, but whereas Leo could stand up to the burdens weighing him down, Donnie tended to get crushed underneath them.

"You got that right. And I think Donnie might be even more stubborn than I am, and you and I both know that I'm crazy-stubborn. The genius may not be the best in a fight, but deep down, he has the most fight in him. He would do anything to protect us. And I _mean_ anything. Like crashing the Shellraiser through a solid brick wall just to save me or staying up all night to change me back into a turtle again after 'The Creep' turned me into a plant," Raph said with a soft chuckle, but then, his face fell into a frown. He turned and stared up at the shoji screens of the Dojo, thinking back to how Donnie had saved his life not all that long ago. "Or kamikazing off a balcony to take out a mutant more than twice his size. Donnie's always worrying about how he isn't as brave or as strong as the rest of us, but yet, when our lives are in danger, he doesn't think twice about his own safety. Just ours . . . "

"I know . . . It isn't right that Donnie's the one lying in there," Leo muttered, also looking towards the Dojo with a lost expression. "Sometimes, his heart's too big for his own good. He thinks he's responsible for fixing every little thing that goes wrong, and when he can't fix things, he thinks he has failed us and he places all of the blame on himself. Just like you said he did after we left New York. You know, when I woke up from my coma, I never once blamed him for what happened. Truthfully, I never even gave the whole fight he and I had over the Kraang invasion a second thought, but now, I know that he went and took all of the blame on himself and nearly died because of it. How could I be so stupid not to realize it? I should have known that he would blame himself for what happened. Of course Donnie would allow the guilt to consume him," Leo said with a heavy twinge of remorse. He wondered how he could have been so blind to not see that Donnie had been hurting for so long . . . _again_. He wondered how his brothers and his human friends could hide something like that from him all this time. He wondered how Donnie must have felt after he had yelled at him for not being good enough when Donnie had already thought that he had failed him. But mostly, Leo wondered how he was ever going to make all of this up to Donnie.

"Yeah, you don't ever have to bother blaming Donnie for something. He'll do it for you. Kind of like some other turtle I know," Raph said with a sly grin, nudging Leo with his foot, nearly knocking his already off balance older brother over backwards.

Once his equilibrium was fully restored and the chance of him falling on his butt was greatly diminished, Leo returned Raph's grin and lightly bumped a fist into his younger brother's shin in a teasing way.

The break in the dark clouds that had been looming over them the entire night was a most welcome reprieve, but the blithe moment could not last. Not as long as their younger brother was out of action.

Leo looked up at Raph and felt the seriousness of the situation pulling him down once again. There were so many things the blue-banded turtle needed to make amends for, he didn't even know where to begin. He decided that eating crow over his ill-mannered behavior towards Raph was a decent enough starting place.

"Listen, Raph. I'm really sorry about yelling at you earlier. I was way out of line. I should have never – " Leo got about three-quarters of the way through his would-be apology before Raph nipped it in the bud.

"Shut up, Leo. We both know we screwed up in a massive way. There's no sense in us apologizing to one another. Save it for when Donnie wakes up," Raph said with a stern expression.

Leo nodded and stared over his brother's shoulder, fixing his gaze on the Dojo once again. That was when Master Splinter came into view. Leo's eyes widened at the sight, which caused Raph to turn in the direction that Leo was staring in.

"S – Sensei, h – how is he?" Leo stammered, instantly springing to his feet, looking far more energized than he actually felt inside.

Raphael also rose to his feet, although he was not able to perform the task with quite as much dexterity or vigor as his older brother had. The hotheaded turtle was running on empty at this point and he couldn't seem to summon the stamina that Leonardo had somehow channeled. Actually, Raph considered it a small miracle that he was able to get up at all.

Master Splinter padded towards his two oldest sons on silent paws and stopped just shy of where they stood at attention. The both of them were hanging on his every movement. Lowering his ears, Master Splinter clasped his hands behind his back and studied his sons for a moment before speaking.

"Donatello is resting comfortably and it appears as though the Healing Hands technique has helped to improve his condition. Your brother is still unconscious for the time being, however, his body temperature has come down several degrees and his other vital signs are also showing significant improvement. I believe that Donatello is out of any immediate danger at this point. That is not to say that he is completely healed. He is still suffering from an unknown ailment, a concussion, and a severely sprained ankle. I suspect that he will be laid up for several days, if not weeks, depending on how serious his illness is, but I expect him to make a full recovery, given time," Master Splinter said, endeavoring to be devoid of emotion, but a sentiment of relief was detectable.

Never before had Leo been so tempted to break into song or give his father a high-three then when he heard the news that Donnie was going to be okay, but Leo refrained from making a fool of himself the way that Mikey would have had he been there.

"That is wonderful news, Sensei," Leo said, minimizing his elation to a less embarrassing level.

"Wonderful indeed. However, I must caution you that your brother is very weak and he will require us to take care of his needs for a while," Master Splinter pointed out. He then arched an eyebrow before adding, "He will need you two to help him through this."

"No problem, Sensei. Anything Donnie needs, we'll take care of it," Raphael declared with far more enthusiasm than Master Splinter was accustomed to hearing from his headstrong son.

"Of course we will! We can take shifts watching him and helping him get around the lair," Leonardo keenly chimed in, already putting plans together in his head. Master Splinter could see that his most obliging son was raring to put those plans into action.

It was then that Master Splinter held up a hand to hush his two oldest boys.

"Perhaps I have not made myself clear enough, for I believe you have mistaken the true meaning of my words. Allow me to restate what I have said. Donatello will need the _two_ of you to help him get through this . . . _together_. I fear your brother's wounds from tonight go much deeper than just the physical ones. I am afraid that he has been emotionally wounded as well and such injuries can inflict far more damage than the ones that we can see," Master Splinter said in his most somber of tones.

Leonardo and Raphael instantly recognized that unique tenor in their father's voice and their heads dropped down in defeat. That tone could only mean one thing. They were in for a long-winded lecture/guilt trip and there wasn't a thing that they could do to possibly get out of it.

"For the past week or so, I had sensed there was something troubling Donatello, but your brother would not willingly admit to it. Finally, after some coaxing, and perhaps some intimidation on my part, he informed me that he has been suffering from frequent headaches since the incident where Michelangelo spilled the serum on his hand. Whether these headaches were a side effect of the incident with the serum or a result of your brother overworking himself, I do not know, but it has been of great concern to me," Master Splinter said, stroking his long, white beard in thought.

"Donnie's been suffering from headaches for a week and no one said anything? Why is everyone in this family keeping secrets from me?" Leo whined, careful not to let too much irritation show. Leo wanted to remain respectful of his Sensei, but at the same time, he was furious that his father had chosen not to inform him that something was wrong with Donnie. Of course, the fact that Leo had just found out that all three of his brothers, along with April and Casey, had not told him that Donnie had almost died while he was in a coma certainly wasn't helping matters any.

"Donatello insisted that I not tell anyone. He was quite adamant about it," Master Splinter said and he would have continued if not for Leonardo uncharacteristically interrupting him.

"Let me guess. Donnie didn't want to worry anyone," Leonardo said with more cynicism than Master Splinter had come to expect from his oldest son. The Ninjutsu master was not at all pleased with his son's sudden shortage of etiquette, but he chose to let it pass due to the stressful circumstances and the delicate hour.

"Yes, that was his reasoning," Master Splinter said with a heavy pang of regret. Perhaps if he would have said something about Donatello's condition, all of _this_ would not have come to pass. Perhaps Donatello's brothers would have intervened rather than pushing their brother harder than he was already pushing himself . . .

"Argh! Why can't the brainiac just let us help him every once in a while?" Raph growled, shaking his fists out in front of him.

"It is not in Donatello's nature to ask for help, Raphael. Unfortunately, it _is_ in his nature to overwork himself and neglect his basic needs. Hence, the reason for your brother's current illness. I noticed that Donatello had been skipping meals more and more frequently and I believe he had been forgoing sleep for the greater part of a week – perhaps longer – in order to create the serum for Miwa. When I approached him about my concerns a few days ago, I was not the least bit surprised that he denied my suspicions. He assured me that he was taking care of himself, so I did not push the matter any further. And for that, I am truly ashamed. I knew that your brother was disregarding his health once again, but I selfishly put Miwa's welfare before Donatello's. I allowed your brother to continue to work himself past the point of exhaustion on that cure just because I wanted my daughter back," Master Splinter said with a heavy heart and his posture unexpectedly wilted like a fading flower.

After hearing how hard Donnie had been working on the cure for Miwa, Master Splinter's was not the only heavy heart in the room.

"And I told him that he wasn't trying hard enough when he had been working nonstop and running himself ragged," Leo said, choking back the tears, thinking he should have never assumed that his genius brother hadn't been giving his all. This was Donnie they were talking about. He always gave one hundred and ten percent. _Always_ . . .

"And then, I went and told him he wasn't smart enough . . . " Raph groaned into his hands, which were now clutching his face. He was just as appalled by what he had done to Donnie as Master Splinter and Leo were with themselves.

"It appears as though the three of us have all failed Donatello in some way tonight," Master Splinter said, straightening his posture back up which indicated that he had caught his second wind. Unfortunately for Leonardo and Raphael, that also indicated that the lecture was not over yet.

"Your brother needs us all to work side by side to repair the damage that has been done this evening. Remember what I told you earlier about the importance of unity?"

Leonardo and Raphael nodded in response, just wanting to get the lecture over with as quickly as possible so that they could see their wounded brother.

"We cannot provide Donatello the help he needs if we are divided. Together, we must make him understand that what has happened tonight is through no fault of his own. Your brother is extraordinarily gifted and brilliant, but he is also extremely vulnerable and insecure about himself and any form of failure can easily discourage him. I believe his need to fix things extends far deeper than any of us can begin to comprehend. While Donatello's inquisitive mind and insatiable curiosity are a blessing, they can also be a curse. Your brother places far too much burden on himself and when things are broken or irreparable – be it objects or relationships – he takes full responsibility for whatever results may transpire. Far too often, Donatello forsakes his own needs in order to make our lives better. At times, I worry we take his generosity and kind soul for granted. He has provided us with so much and asked for nothing in return. As his family, it is up to us to recognize when your brother pushes himself too hard and offer our support. The responsibility falls upon us to lighten his load. That is the lesson we must learn from this experience," Master Splinter informed them in a firm, yet gentle tone. He would have continued on with his sermon, but he could see that his sons were exhausted and not all that interested in what he had to say.

"Now, I believe it is time for us all to get some rest. You may check on your brother first, but then, you are to go to bed."

"Hai, Sensei," Leo and Raph uttered in agreement. They then eagerly followed their father towards the Dojo.

* * *

 ** _To be continued . . ._**

 ** _*Author's Notes: This was a long one . . . I hope you liked it. Thank you to all of you who are still reading this story. Please continue to favorite/follow/review if you enjoyed this chapter so I know that people are still with me. I would love to hear from you and to know if you liked Raph's revelation. Thank you, again! ;) CJ_**

 ** _*For those of you who have not read my story, 'A Shell of Himself,' the parts of this chapter that reflect back to when Donnie made himself sick and passed out in his lab over Timothy's frozen state/April's absence are references to that story. Just an FYI . . ._**


	15. Chapter 15 - Flashbacks and Faux Pas

_***Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.**_

 _ ***Author's Notes: Happy Monday! Here is chapter 15 of 'You're Needed Here Now, Donnie' and I will warn you in advance that it is shorter than the previous two chapters. That is because the original chapter was far too long, so I had to break it into two parts.**_

 _ **I would once again like to thank everyone who has read, reviewed, 'favorited,' and followed me and my stories. I still can't believe that I now have almost 75 follows on this story, not to mention 140 reviews and 57 favorites. As Donnie would say: "Holy mackerel!" You guys are all so awesome and so kind! I just can't thank you enough for all of the support that you have given me, but I'll keep trying! Thank you, thank you, thank you! =}**_

 _ **As always, if you are enjoying this story or any of my other stories, please continue to favorite/follow/review them so I know that you like them. Thank you, again! I hope that you like this chapter. ;) CJ**_

* * *

 **Chapter 15 – Flashbacks and Faux Pas**

Up on the surface, dawn had broken and the light of a new day faintly glimmered inside of the Dojo from the skylight grate above, informing the Hamato family that the night they would not soon forget had finally come to a bittersweet end.

Leonardo closed his eyes as he crossed the threshold of the Dojo, mentally thanking whatever powers that be that morning had come at last. It was high time to put the awful night behind them, but none of them would be able to actually do so until they were sure that Donatello was going to be okay.

The two oldest turtles treaded towards their injured brother on cautious feet, moving at a snail's pace across the first few area rugs of the Dojo. Both Leonardo and Raphael had a nervous feeling roiling in the pit of their gut as they approached their younger brothers.

Donnie was laid out on a tatami mat with a light blanket covering his sleeping form. He looked so peaceful, lying there with his mouth slightly ajar, revealing the gap in his front teeth. It looked as though he was resting comfortably, but they all knew better than to believe that. They could see the deep contusions that spoiled their brother's arms and head and they were all well aware that more marks were being cloaked by the blanket. They could see that the color of Donnie's skin was not as it should be and his closed eyes reminded them that he had not shown signs of consciousness for nearly an hour now.

Leo couldn't help but to wonder if this was what Donnie had been referring to when he had said of his concussion the words _"Not much . . . can do . . . Keep 'wake . . . in case . . . "_

Is this what 'in case' had meant? Had Donnie been trying to tell them that if they let him fall asleep, he wasn't ever going to wake up?

Shaking his head, Leo tried to push those dark thoughts out of his mind. He was in no mental condition to cope with such thoughts right now. Just the thought of Donnie never waking up . . . it was just too much . . .

Mikey was sitting quietly beside his immediate older brother, clasping both of his stubby light green hands around one of Donnie's limp olive green-colored hands. Mikey didn't bother to acknowledge his two oldest brothers as they entered the Dojo. Leo wondered if that was because Mikey was so focused on Donnie that he hadn't noticed that he and Raph were even there or if it was because his baby brother was mad at them for arguing with one another when they should have been helping their injured brother. Leo truly hoped it wasn't the latter, but he couldn't blame Mikey if he was upset with them. If Leo were Mikey, he would be upset, too.

As Leo and Raph drew nearer, Leo softly coughed into his fist to alert Mikey of their presence, but he was pretty sure that Mikey already knew they were there.

Upon hearing Leo's sound cue, Mikey straightened up his back and lifted his head, but he did not turn to look at them. His eyes remained fixed on Donnie.

The chilly vibe Mikey was giving off made the two oldest brothers think that they were intruding. To say the situation was awkward was an understatement.

"How is he doing, Mikey?" Leo asked with barely any volume. He was now standing directly behind Mikey, feeling as though he didn't have a right to take one step further until he had his youngest brother's permission to move any closer. He felt like he owed Donnie and Mikey that much to not encroach on their privacy without consent.

To Leo's surprise, his baby brother looked up at him with his waterlogged blue eyes and there was not a single trace of anger to be seen. What Leo did see was his youngest brother's undying hope and optimism radiating through the thin film of tears that were coating his eyes. Mikey never ceased to bring faith to Leonardo's heart, even in the darkest of times.

"He hasn't opened his eyes yet, but I think that's just 'cause he's super tired from all the stuff that happened. It tuckered him right out. Master Splinter said I did a good job helping him and that Donnie would have been real proud," Mikey said in an elated voice, but as soon as his eyes found their way back down to his unconscious brother, a small sigh deflated out of him.

Stepping around Mikey, Leonardo lowered himself into a sitting position next to Donnie's head so that he was right beside his two baby brothers. The oldest turtle then reached out and wrapped a hand around his two youngest brothers' joined hands.

"I'm proud of you, too, Mikey. You helped make our brother feel better. And I know that Donnie appreciates you taking care of him like this. When he wakes up, he's going to be so grateful for all that you've done for him tonight," Leo said and he pressed his lips into a somewhat lopsided smile, attempting to build up his youngest brother's self-confidence in Donnie's stead.

"You think so?" Mikey asked with all of the excitement of a small child, thrilled that he had done something to please all three of his big brothers for once. It wasn't very often that he did something to garner praise from his siblings. Sometimes, he worried that all they ever thought he did was screw up . . .

"Definitely," Leo answered, trying to keep the phony smile pasted on his face for Mikey's sake, but the smile soon faded when he cast his eyes down upon Donnie.

"He's gonna be okay, Leo. I know he is 'cause I got like this tuition that tells me he's gonna be just fine," Mikey said with a big, euphoric grin that lit up his entire face.

Leo quietly snickered over Mikey's misuse of the word 'tuition.' If Donnie would have been awake, he would have no doubt corrected Mikey's little syntax error and dutifully informed his younger brother that the term he had been looking for was 'intuition.'

But Donnie wasn't awake. Therein was the whole problem . . .

Leo peered down at Donnie and petted his intelligent brother's head affectionately, but the contact did not cause the genius to stir. Not even a little. Leo noticed that his little brother's fever had gone down some, but Donnie was still warmer than he should have been. What was even worse than the fever was the fact that Donnie was still unresponsive.

The foreboding words repeated in the leader's head again . . .

" _Not much . . . can do . . . Keep 'wake . . . in case . . . "_

Leo's breath got stuck in his throat as he once again reminded himself that this was all his fault. His brother was hurt and unconscious because of him. His heart ached with pain and a lone tear rolled down his cheek without notice. As Leo continued to stroke Donnie's head, he found himself thinking back to one of the last things that his injured brother had said to him before he had left the lair to get the Stealth Bike.

" _Hey, at least this way, the worthless repairman will be doing something useful for a change."_

The memory of what his brother had said just before leaving the lair made Leo's already fractured heart crack even more. He wondered why he hadn't stopped his genius brother right then and there and told him how wrong he had been. He wondered why he hadn't told Donnie that he wasn't just some repairman to them. That his brilliant brother was anything but useless. That he was loved beyond what any words could say. Leo wondered how he could have possibly let Donnie leave the lair thinking that he was worthless and that no one cared about him. Most of all, Leo wondered how he could have ever been so stupid to accuse Donnie of not trying hard enough when all Donnie ever did was work his fingers to the bone for them.

 _Donnie couldn't possibly try any harder . . ._

 _Donnie couldn't possibly give any more . . ._

 _Donnie couldn't possibly be any more self-sacrificing . . ._

Donnie had already given them his all, and still, Leo had asked for more. Donnie had already pushed himself past his limits – starving himself and pulling who knows how many all-nighters in a row – and still, Leo had said that it hadn't been enough.

Then, Leonardo's thoughts shifted to the morning before, when he had gone into the lab to check on his genius brother's progress. If Leo would have been a better brother, he would have noticed it then, but he had instead turned a blind eye to it . . .

* * *

 _The sound of someone pounding on the outside of the laboratory door instantly made Donnie's head shoot up from his desktop. The startled terrapin held his back ramrod straight, like someone had just dumped a ten-gallon cooler of ice water down his shell._

" _It's open," Donnie groaned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and wiping away any drool that may have accumulated around his mouth and chin. He was essentially tampering with the evidence that he had been so tired that he had passed out at his desk for the third time this week._

 _As the lab door slid open, Donnie checked the time on his T-phone and was relieved to see that only about fifteen minutes had passed since the last time he had checked his phone._

 _The genius turtle had been up all night working on the serum for Karai again when his eyes had lost the ability to focus on anything in front of him. His solution to his eyesight problem had been to put his arms and head down upon his desk and rest his eyes for what was supposed to be only a couple of minutes, but his overtaxed brain must have decided otherwise. Apparently, it had elected to shutdown against his will._

" _Hey, Donnie! It's almost – Whoa . . . You look terrible. Wait . . . Were you in here all night?" Came Leo's half-shrill /half-reprimanding voice. The one that he liked to use when he was gearing up to give a good talking-to, which Donnie was so not in the mood for right now._

 _With his mouth set in a scowl, Leonardo intersected his arms over his plastron and tapped his foot on the floor at an irregular tempo, informing Donatello that he was impatiently waiting for an answer. After looking Donnie's thin frame over, Leo noticed that his younger brother's eyelids were droopier than they should have been if he had gotten a halfway decent night's sleep. He could also see that Donnie's stick-straight posture was starting to slope forward like he was a cut tree falling in slow motion. If Donnie wasn't careful about the trajectory of his landing, he could potentially impale himself on one of the various metal or glass objects on his desk._

 _The objects on the desk momentarily stole Leonardo's attention away from his little brother. The oldest turtle gawked at all of the miscellaneous scientific supplies and equipment that his genius brother had set up on his desk – vials, beakers, Petri dishes, et cetera. The blue-clad ninja didn't know exactly what Donnie was doing with all of the 'sciency' stuff spread out across his desktop, but he knew exactly what his little brother was working on. It was the same thing that Donnie had been working on for what had felt like forever._

 _Leo reined in a sigh over how long it was taking Donnie to come up with the cure for Karai, not wanting to let on to his little brother how frustrated he was with his progress . . . or lack thereof. Leo certainly didn't want to put any additional pressure on his genius brother, but it seemed to Leo like Donnie was taking his sweet time on developing the cure. A part of him was starting to think that Donnie wasn't pushing himself as hard as he could because the cure was for Karai. After all, she had just nearly succeeded in killing all of them by poisoning them, but that was only because she was under the control of Shredder's Brain Worm. She couldn't help it. Donnie was smart enough to know that . . ._

 _Wincing his eyes, Leo mentally cursed himself for thinking the worst of Donnie. He knew that his younger brother wasn't spiteful enough to do something like that. Of course Donnie was doing all that he could for Karai. Still, Leo wished that his brother could work a little faster. All of this waiting around was torturous._

 _While Leo studied his brother's desktop, the brainy turtle bit down hard on his bottom lip as he contemplated how he should respond to his older brother's question about if he had been in his lab all night. If Donnie told Leo the truth, he would get his shell chewed out by his oldest brother, and then, Leo would go and tell Master Splinter about it and that would result in Donnie getting his shell chewed out again. That is, unless Leo ran into Raph first. In that case, Donnie would get his shell pummeled by Raph before getting chewed out by his father, which, in turn, would literally make his father's lecture even more painful than usual._

 _On the other hand, if Donnie attempted to lie to Leo, there was a considerable chance that his oldest brother, who seemed to intermittently possess mind reading powers, would catch him in the act of perjury and the consequences could end up far, far worse._

 _Still, the only viable way that Donnie could get out of a lengthy series of lectures (and a possible thrashing) at this point was to gamble on a well-executed fib._

 _Although Donnie was not inherently a lying or gambling turtle, he decided that a stretch of the truth was his best bet._

" _Don't worry, mom. I wasn't in the lab all night. I just woke up a little while ago and decided to get an early start on the serum for Karai," Donnie said, trying to sound as indifferent as he could, using his brother Raph as his inspiration for how to be apathetic._

 _Technically, what Donnie had just told Leo wasn't a lie, but rather a slight distortion of the truth. In all actuality, Donnie hadn't been in the lab all night. At one point, he had left the confines of his lab to take a short restroom break. And, in all honesty, he had just woken up a little while ago, after his little ten to fifteen minute blackout. Sure, a few significant details had been left out, but Donnie had omitted them to protect the innocent. Namely, himself . . ._

 _Leo knitted his eye ridges and stared down at Donnie skeptically. The eldest turtle couldn't shake the feeling that his younger brother was not being entirely honest with him, but Leo did not have enough substantial proof to accuse his brother of lying. Besides, if Leo went and upset Donnie by falsely accusing him of lying to him, it could hinder his little brother's progress that much more. Leo couldn't take that chance._

 _The way that his older brother was looking at him was making Donnie's stomach feel like someone was twisting and pulling on it like it was taffy. Donnie shifted his eyes away from where Leo stood, pretending to be suddenly captivated by the work in progress on his desk, but he was really just doing what he could to avoid eye contact with his brother._

 _By some miracle, Leo appeared to have bought Donnie's fabrication. Donnie wondered if that was because he was that proficient of a liar or if it was due to the fact that Leo didn't really care, because he was so obsessed with him finding a cure for Karai. Lately, Donnie was beginning to think that Leo cared more about Karai than –_

 _Donnie shook his head before his mind could complete that dismal thought. He needed to stop being such a drama turtle. He knew that he was just being overly sensitive because he was exhausted and things weren't going as well as he had hoped. He knew that his big brother cared about him. Leo was just worried about Karai and Master Splinter. That's all. Of course Leo cared about him . . ._

" _Well, practice starts in like ten minutes. I just wanted to make sure that you hadn't lost track of time. I know how you get when you're working on stuff," Leo said with a knowing wink, and then, he pointed at the experiment on Donnie's desk. The gesture was meant to perk his little brother up, but it had actually had quite the opposite effect on the genius turtle._

" _Uh . . . about that, Leo. Well . . . I've been working on this Brain Worm serum for Karai for several weeks now . . . and . . . I . . . you see, I'm – " Donnie started, but never got the chance to finish._

" _Hey, we all know it's taken you awhile, Donnie, but that's okay. I'm sure you've got to be really close to creating the cure by now. And once it's ready, we'll administer it to Karai, and then, Sensei will have his daughter back. Our family will finally be whole. Won't that be great?" Leo asked in a voice that was practically giddy. Like Mikey-giddy. That was because just thinking about Master Splinter being reunited with his long-lost daughter after all of these years made Leonardo's spirits soar. Then again, his enthusiasm could have had something to do with the fact that he still kind of had a slight thing for Karai . . . Even if she had tried to kill them numerous times . . . Even before the whole Brain Worm situation . . ._

 _To Donnie, the cheerfulness in Leonardo's voice felt like an icy slap to the face. He looked up at his big brother and he couldn't remember the last time that he had seen such a big smile adorn Leo's face. Probably not since before Karai had been mutated . . ._

 _That smile made Donnie want to shrink into his shell and never come out._

 _How could he let Leo down after all that he had put his oldest brother through? After all, he was the reason that Leo had almost died after the Kraang had invaded._

 _And how could Donnie fail his father? After everything that Sensei had done for him? For all of them?_

 _How could Donnie tell his family that he had no idea how to formulate the cure for Karai? How could he tell them that he was no closer to a cure now than he had been when he had started?_

 _He couldn't._

 _He just couldn't . . ._

" _Yeah . . . it'll be great," Donnie muttered, putting on the most convincing happy face that he could manage, while, inside, he felt like crying._

" _Is everything all right, Donnie?" Leo asked, sensing that something was amiss with his little brother. Even though Donnie's current expression was that of gladness, Leo had this unsinkable feeling that his brother was working through some sort of inner struggle, and, as usual, he was hiding it away for none to see. Of Leo's three brothers, Donatello had always been the most difficult to read. The second youngest turtle oftentimes tended to be enigmatic and withdrawn, keeping his true feelings under lock and key. To Leo, Donnie was like a puzzle he could not solve, and just like his genius brother, Leo hated when he couldn't solve something . . ._

" _Are you okay?" Leo inquired again, noticing that his little brother had yet to vocalize any kind of response to his previous question._

 _Hearing the concern in his big brother's resilient voice, Donnie nearly cracked under the stress. He wanted so much just to talk to someone about what he was going through. He just wanted to have someone listen to him, and maybe, just maybe, have someone tell him that they understood. Someone to pat him on the shell and tell him that it was going to be okay. Someone to tell him that they would still love him even if he couldn't find the cure for Karai._

 _Was that too much to ask?_

 _In a brief moment of weakness, Donnie almost allowed his walls to come down and reach out for help._

 _Almost . . ._

" _Yeah . . . yeah, I'm fine," Donnie sputtered out, rubbing the back of his neck uneasily. "We, uh . . . We'd better get our shells to the Dojo. We don't want to be late for practice. You know how Sensei is," Donnie said with a fake smile as he forced himself to his dead-tired feet. He circumnavigated around his older brother before bolting out of the lab as fast as possible in order to avoid any further questioning._

 _With his thoughts preoccupied with Karai, Leo didn't pay any heed to Donnie essentially fleeing the lab as though it was on fire._

 _Gazing back over at Donnie's desk, Leo's eyes latched onto the open note tablet where his brother had been jotting down his findings. As he stared down at his brother's handwriting and the various sketches that Donnie had made of the Brain Worm, Leo's lips formed a thin line. If Donnie didn't start getting some positive results soon, the blue-masked turtle was pretty sure that he was going to fly off the handle. Patience was typically one of his best virtues, but Leo really didn't know how much more of this waiting he could take. He was starting to gain a better understanding of how Raph felt all of the time and he didn't like it one little bit._

 _Slowly, Leo turned and headed towards the Dojo, hoping that morning practice might help to calm his frayed nerves._

* * *

It was hard to believe that less than twenty four hours had passed since Leo had blown off Donnie's odd behavior in the lab that morning. It had seemed like much more time had passed since then.

That meant that less than a day ago, Leo had had his chance to prevent this whole mess, but he had failed to do so. All because he had been too absorbed in his thoughts about Karai to concern himself over what had been troubling his little brother. He had seen all of the warning signs that Donnie had been sending out. He had felt that something was off with his brother. He had had a sneaking suspicion that the genius was lying to him, but he had done nothing.

Just as Raph had said, Leonardo had basically shown Donnie that he cared more about Karai than his own brother.

Leo sighed and lovingly brushed his fingers back and forth across Donnie's feverish head.

It seemed like forever and a day since Leo and Donnie had had that early morning conversation in the lab. Still, Leo remembered it all too well . . .

After that conversation before morning practice, Leo had not returned to the lab to check on his brainy brother until after supper. It had been yet another meal that Donatello had skipped and yet another meal that Leo had not bothered to concern himself over his genius brother's absence. A little bit later, the whole family had watched on as Donnie's most recent experiment had failed right along with what little had remained of his confidence. Not long after that, Leo had let his temper get the better of him and he had let his frustrations out on his distraught and overworked brother for not meeting his standards. Leo had taken out his frustrations on the very same brother that had been depriving himself of sustenance and proper rest for an unknown period of time just so that he could work on the very same serum that Leo had accused him of not trying hard enough on.

 _I'm so sorry, Donnie. I should have known you were doing everything you could for Karai. I should have noticed you were neglecting yourself and making yourself sick again. I'm sorry for making you think that I didn't care and I'm so sorry for taking you for granted,_ Leo thought and a few more tears made their way down his cheek, but no one saw them, for their eyes had been fixed on Donnie. Not that Leo cared about anyone seeing him cry at this point. All he cared about right now was Donnie.

 _That_ was what he should have cared about all along . . .

 _Please, Donnie. You've gotta wake up. Please . . . I need you!_

* * *

 _ **To be continued . . .**_

 _ ***Author's Notes: I really hope that you liked this chapter and the flashback scene. This chapter was a very emotional one for me to write. Please continue to favorite/follow/review if you are enjoying this story. Thank you so much for reading! ;) CJ**_


	16. Chapter 16 - Painful Reminders

_***Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.**_

 _ ***Author's Notes: Chapter 16 of 'You're Needed Here Now, Donnie' is here and this chapter may contain moments of angst and brotherly fluff . . . Consider yourself warned. ;)**_

 _ **Once again, thank you all for taking the time to read, review, favorite, and follow me and my stories. It means so very much to me to know that people are enjoying what I have written. Please continue to favorite/follow/review my stories if you like them. I love the feedback. ;) CJ**_

* * *

 **Chapter 16 – Painful Reminders**

Just as Leo's unseen tears began to seep down, Raphael finally knelt down beside his brothers, taking a spot on the opposite side of Donnie as Mikey was sitting. The red-clad turtle had not spoken a word since entering the Dojo. All he had been able to do was stare down at the raw abrasions around Donnie's wrists while he silently stood behind Mikey like a statue, too mortified to talk for fear of losing it.

Once beside his injured brother, Raphael lifted Donnie's unoccupied hand up off of the straw mat that the genius was lying on. Raph clasped his younger brother's limp hand in his own hands, similar to what Mikey was doing with Donnie's other hand. All the while, the hotheaded turtle continued to stare at Donnie's wrist. He gently rubbed his fingertips against the ligature marks that circled his brainy brother's arm.

He couldn't take his eyes off of those marks, just as he hadn't been able to when they had returned to the lair after escaping Karai's traps that fateful night . . .

* * *

 _After having stormed out because Raph was being such a difficult patient, a much calmer Donnie reentered the laboratory carrying a water jug filled to the brim in one hand while his other hand was tightly closed around something small enough to be completely concealed in his palm. Raph noticed that Donnie's tongue was curled up over his upper lip as he concentrated on not dropping the contents in his hands. It was kind of cute, in a hopeless, nerdy sort of way. Of course, Raph would never own up to thinking something along that line. His brothers would never let him live something like that down._

" _And here we go. Now, I want you take both of these tablets with this whole container of water. And I mean the whole container; not just part of it. You were exposed to extreme temperatures for a prolonged period of time so we need to keep you hydrated. Once you drink that, then, you should go straight to bed and get some rest," Donnie instructed in his 'Doctor's orders' tone that they all knew better than to trifle with, for fear of ticking the genius off. Donnie didn't get out-and-out mad very often, but when he did . . . look out._

 _Raph rolled his eyes for about the fifteenth time in the last five minutes. He was seriously contemplating telling Donnie where to shove that container of water, but ultimately decided against it. He had to remind himself that his brother was only trying to help him, even if he was being a regular pain in the shell._

 _Holding his arm out towards Raph, Donnie pivoted his wrist so that his hand was palm-side up as he unfurled his fingers to present the aforementioned tablets._

 _It was then that Raph noticed the marred skin around his brother's lower arms._

" _Donnie, what the heck did they do to you? Look at your arms!" Raph grunted and his temper flared at the mere thought of someone abusing his shy and peaceful brother like that._

 _Donnie jumped a little, startled by the bark in Raph's tone._

" _Wh – what?" Donnie's voice squeaked out as he peered down at his lower arms. He quickly spotted what his older brother had been referring to and his cheeks flushed with red over the attention that he was drawing over some minor scrapes and burns._

" _Oh, that," Donnie said bashfully as he tried to cover up the red marks with his hands, being careful not to drop the pills still in his one hand as he did so. "It's . . . it's just from when my arms rubbed against the shackles. It's nothing, really."_

" _Yeah, right. Nothing, my shell!"_

 _Raph reached out to grab one of Donnie's arms for further inspection, but the brainy turtle quickly backed out of his brother's reach._

 _It irritated Raph to no end that his little brother was trying to make light of his injuries. Typical Donnie . . ._

" _Raph, keep it down. You'll wake the others." As he spoke, Donnie glanced over his shoulder nervously, hoping on all that was science that Raph's raised voice hadn't managed to wake up Master Splinter or they'd both be doing backflips until they were twenty._

" _So what? Let them come! I'm sure they'd love to see what innocent little Donnie's been hiding from them," Raph snarled and his bottom lip jutted out into one of his trademark scowls. He then crossed his arms in front of his plastron the same way that he always did when he was riled up about something._

 _Donnie gulped audibly before stepping away from the harsh glow of the fluorescent lights above him. He tried to act as though he was just moving towards his desk to set the water jug and electrolyte tablets down, but, in reality, his true intentions were to take advantage of the more shadowy part of the lab. He was keeping his fingers crossed that the slightly dimmer lighting over his desk would shroud his injuries well enough that Raph would just let it go, because Donnie really didn't feel up to talking about what had happened._

 _Unfortunately, Raph was never one to just let things go . . ._

 _Donnie could feel his big brother's glaring eyes upon him and it made him break out into a cold sweat._

" _Seriously, Raph. I'm fine. The metal on the shackles just chafed my skin a little when they . . . they – " Donnie's planned statement came to an abrupt and unexpected halt. For reasons he couldn't quite comprehend, he was unable to bring himself to complete that last sentence. When he had started his explanation, it hadn't seemed like all that difficult of a thing to say, but his voice just decided to give out on him without warning. Apparently, being nearly electrocuted must have traumatized him more than he had initially thought._

 _Raph, on the other hand, had no trouble finishing off the sentence for his brother._

" _When they tried to fry that big brain of yours?" Raph huffed in an angry tone that was not meant for Donnie, but rather for the jerks that had mistreated his little brother. Donnie noticed that there was something more to Raph's tone than just his usual disgust, but he wasn't quite sure what it was. It was always a challenge to differentiate other emotions from the anger that Raph constantly suffered from._

" _Your hands are shaking," Raph stated somewhat bluntly and he uncrossed his arms so that he could reach out for his younger brother again, but Donnie quickly tucked his hands behind his back, naively believing that that would be enough to get his stubborn older brother to back off._

" _I know. It's . . . it's just a side effect of the electrical shocks. I'm sure the shaking will be gone by morning. Just like the marks on my wrists," Donnie assured Raph, staring at his older brother with his ruddy-brown eyes opened as wide as they would go in an attempt to manipulate his brother into just dropping the subject._

 _Raph shook his head. Donnie may have been able to fool Mikey with that line of baloney. Shell, he may have even been able to dupe Leo with his big, dinner plate-sized eyes, but Raph wasn't falling for it. The hothead had seen firsthand what a prolonged jolt from that stupid helmet that had been strapped onto Donnie's head had done to Mikey, and that had been just one jolt. Donnie had been shocked by that thing over and over again. Raph couldn't help but to wonder – and worry – just how many times his brainy brother had gotten zapped by Karai's sick version of an electric chair before they had finally rescued him._

 _Through the vents of the small space that he had been confined to, Raph had heard Donnie's cries of anguish growing louder and longer, yet somehow weaker and more garbled with each passing moment that they had been stuck inside of Karai's awful traps. Raph had had to helplessly listen on as his second youngest brother had clearly been tortured. He had been forced to listen to the fear in Mikey's voice and the pain in Donnie's cries, knowing that he had no way of stopping his younger brothers' suffering._

 _To Raph, not being able to protect his little brothers when they had so desperately needed him had been far more torturous than nearly being baked alive . . ._

 _After Raph, Leo, and Mikey had escaped their own traps, they had to break through the ceiling of Mikey's trap in order to get to Donnie, whose trap had been directly above the youngest turtle's. When they had finally been able to make their way up through the floor of Donnie's trap, they had found the genius shackled to a metal chair wearing some goofy-looking helmet with wires sticking out in all different directions. There had been no mistaking that Donnie was in pretty tough shape by the time that they had gotten to him. He was panting and barely able to hold himself upright, which had freaked them all right out. Upon seeing the condition that Donnie had been in, Leo had immediately jumped to his feet and had been about to slice through the wires of Donnie's helmet when the brainiac had hysterically announced that if they cut the wires, they'd fry him. Then, they had to watch on in horror as another round of electricity had been delivered to their second youngest brother via that helmet. It had been an unbearable sight to witness, seeing his immediate younger brother writhing in pain from the shocks going through him. Both Raph and Leo had been paralyzed with fear by the sight. Luckily, Mikey had remained more level-headed than his older siblings (an oxymoron indeed). The youngest turtle had quickly figured out a way to remove the helmet without managing to kill himself or Donnie in the process, but the procedure had just about cooked Mikey in his shell. The memory of Mikey literally smoking after pulling that helmet off of Donnie made Raph once again wonder just how much damage that helmet had actually done to his genius brother . . ._

" _Donnie," Raph roughly rasped, reaching out for his brother once again, only he went about it much more aggressively than the previous two attempts. This time, he was able to get a hold of one of his younger brother's arms, despite Donnie's stubborn attempts to keep his arms out of reach and view._

 _The genius let out a small yip as Raph insistently pulled his arm towards him and stared down at the unsightly red welts around his little brother's wrist._

" _You're hurt," Raph said much softer than Donnie had anticipated. The older turtle's intense gaze never left Donnie's sore and swollen wrist._

" _Raph, I said it – " Donnie tried to defend himself, but Raph cut him short._

" _I saw you get zapped, Donatello. Don't tell me it was nothing. You think I can't see how bad you're shaking?"_

 _Raph immediately noticed that he had just sounded a lot more like Leonardo than he certainly would have liked. Raph hated it with a passion when his older brother used that kind of tone with him, but yet, there he was, acting all high and mighty, just like Fearless. The word hypocrite came to mind._

 _The deployment of his full name from Raph, of all turtles, made Donnie cringe. He couldn't remember the last time that his immediate older brother had referred to him as 'Donatello.'_

" _Please, don't tell the others. At least, not until morning. I don't want to wake them over this. Let them sleep. Besides, Leo is already disappointed enough in me as it is. Karai's gone and it's all my fault," Donnie muttered as his head dropped down so that he could stare at his feet._

 _A pair of strong hands seized Donnie by the shoulders and tried to shake the stuffing out of him. Regardless of the pain that Raph was suddenly causing to his already-aching head and bruised up arms, the genius didn't make any effort to pull away from his older brother. He just stood there with his head hanging down and let his brother manhandle him. As far as he was concerned, he deserved it . . ._

" _Don't you dare try to blame yourself for this! This isn't your fault, Donnie!" Raph growled, giving Donnie a few more good shakes to really drive home the point before releasing his grip on his brother._

 _Finally free of Raph's hold, Donnie moved backwards a few klutzy strides before offering up a response to his brother. His eyes remained aimed at the floor as he spoke. "Yes . . . Yes, it is, Raph. I let Leo down. He was counting on me to save Karai and I totally blew it."_

 _Donnie was unable to stop his voice from breaking with emotion and his muscles involuntarily twitched with tension. Not only was he struggling to maintain his outward composure, but he was have a really tough time fighting off a wave of nausea and wooziness. This feeling of discomfort was actually something that he had been trying to disregard since they had left the warehouse, but it was steadily growing harder to ignore._

 _Raph could see that his brother was trying with all of his might to hide something from him, but he wasn't about to let the genius play that little game with him._

 _Biting back a roar that wanted to come out, Raph instead put a thumb and forefinger underneath Donnie's chin and lifted his little brother's head up so that brown eyes met green. It was then that Raph could see the condensation gathering in the corners of his brother's eyes and he instantly knew that that was what his brother had been trying to conceal from him when he had dropped his head down._

 _An overwhelming desire to punch Leo in the face or maybe even kick him below the belt burned inside of Raph like a wildfire raging out of control. For the past several weeks, Leo had been drilling Donnie nonstop about finishing the serum for Karai. That seemed to be all Leo ever thought about or talked about when he was around Donnie. Always asking Donnie if the serum would be ready soon. Always guilting Donnie into working on it all hours of the day because it was taking so long. Always reminding Donnie how important finding a cure was to Master Splinter when Raph knew darn well it was just as important to Leo because of his dumb crush on Karai. Raph had seen how Leo had been behaving around Donnie lately. Treating him more like a micromanaged employee than a brother. Acting as if Donnie's only purpose in life was to slave away in the lab in order to save Leo's girlfriend._

 _Stupid Leo!_

 _With him, it was always Karai this, Karai that . . . It was as if Leo was more concerned about Karai than he was about his own little brother. Raph wondered if Leo had even noticed how hard he had been pushing Donnie and how much pressure he had been putting on the genius to find the cure. And then, Leo had the gall to yell at Donnie and tell him that he wasn't trying hard enough. That was way out of line! Donnie had been doing nothing but trying to come up with a way to free Karai from Shredder's Brain Worm. Raph was pretty sure that the genius hadn't eaten or slept in days because he wanted to spend more time working on the cure that Leo had told him he wasn't working hard enough on. Raph had noticed that his younger brother had been missing at mealtimes for several days straight, but the rest of the family hadn't said a thing about it and that made the hothead furious. Raph was all too familiar with the brainiac's penchant for not taking care of himself when he was obsessing over something. When Raph had gone to the lab to confront Donnie about neglecting himself, the genius had simply told him that he would grab a bite to eat after he was done working on the cure for Karai._

 _Yeah, right . . ._

 _Raph held back yet another roar as he stared at his despondent little brother._

 _Of course Donnie would take full accountability for what had happened to Karai. Why wouldn't he since Leo had done nothing but instill into Donnie's mind that it was his responsibility to find that dumb cure above all else. Leo had never once stopped to ask himself if what he was asking of Donnie was even possible. It was as if Leo didn't care, so long as he got what he wanted._

 _All Leo had done lately was push, push, push . . . Heck, even when they had been stuck inside of Karai's traps and Donnie was getting shocked left and right, Leo had still been pushing him to figure a way out, which the genius had, even in his debilitated state._

" _You haven't let anyone down, little brother. I know how hard you tried to make that cure for Karai. And Leo . . . he knows it, too. He's just been a real jerk to you lately." As he spoke, Raph tried to keep the majority of his disgust towards his older brother out of his voice so as not to further upset Donnie, but it was almost impossible to keep his anger in check._

" _I – I didn't say that!" Donnie quickly denied, reacting as though he had been accused of some kind of wrongdoing._

" _You didn't have to. I've got eyes, haven't I? I've seen the way he's been acting, Donnie." Raph's tone dipped down to a near-whisper._

 _Letting out a melancholy sigh, Donnie attempted to turn his head away from Raph, but his stronger brother kept a firm grasp on his chin and wouldn't allow him to look away. Raph peered into Donnie's eyes and the genius felt his hold on his self-control start to abandon him. He really wished that he wouldn't have gone and brought up their oldest brother. It was like tearing an already deep wound even further open._

" _Leo wouldn't even look at me all the way home. It was like . . . like he didn't even . . . " Donnie breathed out, purposely leaving the sentence unfinished._

 _Raph knew exactly what word Donnie had been avoiding._

" _He cares about you, Donnie. Leo was just hurting inside. We all were. You just need to give him some time," Raph said as he gently placed his free hand on Donnie's shoulder. All the while, Raph was loathing the fact that he was actually standing there defending his older brother's actions, pretending to approve of them, when inside, he despised them. He had to remind himself repeatedly that he was only doing it for Donnie's sake._

 _Whether or not Raph's feeble attempts to console his immediate younger brother were working remained to be seen, as Donnie's expression had not changed much. Maybe that was because Raph was not so good at this comforting stuff and coming up with the right words to say to make someone feel better. Astonishingly, Raph found himself wishing that Mikey was still up. He could have really used the little goofball's help with all this sugary-sweet garbage. After all, Raph was supposed to be the insensitive one, not the thoughtful one._

 _Then, much to Raph's surprise, Donnie smiled. Granted, the expression was diminutive at best and Raph wasn't even sure if it was one hundred percent genuine, but hey, it was progress. And the genius himself had always said that 'progress is progress.'_

" _Thanks, Raph. You're probably right."_

 _Donnie's smile started to fade as soon as he had finished his response._

" _Of course I am," Raph said arrogantly, finally sounding more like himself. He then let go of his younger brother's shoulder and chin so that he could hook his thumbs in the top of his belt and strike a cocky pose that better suited his sudden change of mood._

" _Now, you need to get some rest," Donnie said, walking over to his desk to retrieve the electrolyte tablets and the water jug that he had left there a few minutes ago. "But not before you take these tablets and drink all of this water. Every last drop! Take the container with you. Just bring it back in the morning . . . empty," Donnie instructed resolutely. He, too, now sounded more like himself. With relative ease, the brainy turtle had shifted straight into family physician mode, proceeding as though he had not been heartbroken only seconds before._

 _Raph knew better. He may not have been the most perceptive turtle in the lair or a 'people person' by any means, but he could definitely tell that something was still bothering his little brother. He could also tell when he was being kicked out of his own brother's lab. He would have protested the eviction notice if he wasn't so dang exhausted. At this point, he was just grateful for the opportunity to get away from 'Doctor Donnie.' All he wanted to do right now was hit the sack and sleep this whole rotten night off._

 _Raph made a quick mental note to check on Donnie first thing in the morning, right after he told Leo that he was a shellhead._

 _After snatching up the pills and water from Donnie's shaky hands, Raph promptly swigged down the capsules just to appease his brainy brother who was watching him intently. Raph then gave Donnie a playful slug to the upper plastron before heading for the door. Just as Raph was about to exit the lab, something compelled him to stop and turn back towards his younger brother._

" _Thanks, Donnie . . . even though you were being a total nag. You should get some rest, too, little brother. You look tired." Raph purposely omitted the snide comments that he typically would have made after the words 'you look,' thinking that Donnie was not up for a 'you look like crap' kind of remark right about now. Raph decided that he'd save his insults and snide comments for Leo tomorrow morning, when he was fulfilling that reminder that he had just made to himself to call his older brother a shellhead._

" _I will in a little bit. I just want to clean up this mess before I go to bed," Donnie said, motioning towards the remnants of the failed experiment on his desk._

 _Raph hesitated before saying, "Okay . . . Goodnight, Donnie."_

 _The red-masked turtle then walked out of the lab, lugging the absurd amount of liquid that his little brother actually expected him to suck down. As Raph passed through the aperture that lead to their bedrooms, he glanced over at his genius brother's bedroom door. For a brief moment, he reconsidered his decision to leave his brother alone in the lab, but he was way too tired to argue with the brainiac at this point. He instead headed to his room, intending to call it a night._

* * *

Reflecting now on the interaction between him and Donnie that night in the lab, Raphael realized that he should have slung his genius brother over his shoulder and hauled him off to bed, even if he had kicked and screamed the whole way. It would have been better than leaving Donnie to his own devices, standing there all alone in his insomnia and misery.

Raph shook his head.

It had been just plain foolish and selfish to assume that Donnie would go to bed of his own accord that night. Not given his track record. Not given the state that Raph had left him in. If only Raph would have dragged his little brother to his room and forced him to get some sleep like he needed.

 _Donnie wouldn't be lying here hurt and unconscious . . ._

In a rare intimate gesture, Raphael caressed Donnie's wrist with his thumb, queasy over the sight of the once smooth olive-green skin that was now red and puffy with angry ligature marks from where the shackles of Karai's trap and Rahzar's ropes had dug into the flesh.

Looking back at everything that had happened that night, Raph had never felt so useless.

 _I'm sorry, Donnie boy. I should have taken better care of you, little brother_ , Raph thought, drowning in an abyss of bottomless sadness.

"I believe it is now time for the three of you to get some rest. I will stay here with Donatello while you sleep." Master Splinter's low voice cut through the gloom hanging over the Dojo. He had sensed that seeing their most intellectual brother this way had become far too much for his young sons to bear. And just like Donatello, they, too, needed time for their wounds to heal.

As to be expected, Michelangelo was the first to demonstrate signs of resistance.

"Not yet! Please, just give us a few more minutes. Please, Master Splinter," Michelangelo practically begged, staring up at his father with his teary, innocent blue eyes.

No one could say no to that look. Not even a highly trained master of Ninjutsu.

"Very well . . . I will leave you boys alone with your brother for a moment, but only until I have gathered a few items from my room to make Donatello more comfortable. When I return, the three of you are to go straight to bed," Master Splinter said with a slight sting in his voice, warning them with his tone that if any of them were to question this upon his return, there would be dire consequences.

The three boys nodded vigorously, signifying their understanding.

Master Splinter narrowed his eyes for a few drawn-out seconds before heading off to his room.

As soon as Master Splinter was out of sight and presumably out of earshot – though they were never fully certain if Master Splinter was ever truly out of earshot – Mikey started to fidget and sniffle. His red, puffy eyes trailed back to his injured brother as a woeful frown weighed his face down.

"I don't want to leave him, guys. What if he wakes up and we're not here?" Mikey whimpered so sorrowfully it literally hurt to listen to his voice.

Leo and Raph exchanged knowing glances, and then, they got up to their feet. To Mikey's confusion, his brothers left the Dojo without so much as a word.

After briefly lifting his head up to watch his two oldest brothers leave the room, Mikey looked back down at Donnie and let out a heavy sigh. The youngest turtle didn't know how much time had passed since they had returned to the lair, but he did know that his injured brother hadn't moved an inch since they had gotten home and that scared the shell out of him . . .

As he continued to gaze down at Donnie, Mikey couldn't help but to stare at the nasty knot on his big brother's forehead. He wondered if that was the only reason why Donnie wouldn't wake up. Mikey really hated the sight of that ugly bruise as well as all of the other contusions covering his brother's body. It hurt Mikey's heart to see his big brother in this condition. He wanted nothing more than for Donnie to open his eyes . . . for Donnie to do anything other than just lie there. He just wanted his big brother to be okay . . .

Mikey found himself thinking back to the last conversation that he and Donnie had had before his brainy brother had ordered him to go to bed.

Before all of _this_ had happened . . .

* * *

" _Oh man . . . I wish you could have tasted those special pizza gyozas, D! They were so totally delicious!" Mikey boasted, rubbing his belly blissfully, still savoring the extra-cheesy flavor of those delectable delights that he had inhaled back at Mr. Murakami's._

" _They were laced with a powerful knockout drug, Mikey," Donnie groaned as he continued to check his baby brother over for injuries. The genius brother's preliminary exam of his younger brother back at the warehouse had revealed no life-threatening injuries, but he wanted to be sure that he hadn't missed anything. Now that they were back at the lair, Donnie could conduct a much more thorough inspection in order to ease his troubled mind._

 _Mikey was currently sitting atop the work table in Donnie's laboratory, restlessly waiting while his brainy brother performed his medical evaluation._

 _Upon entering the lab after their return to the lair, Donnie had decided to check out his younger brother first. Once he cleared Mikey for release, he could then move onto his only remaining patient, which happened to be Raphael. Ironically, the turtle in red was being anything but patient as he sat behind Donnie's desk. The temperamental turtle was irritably drumming his fingers on the stained surface of the desktop as he waited for his turn on the examination table. Donnie could already tell that his older brother was going to be a royal pain in the shell about his mandated checkup. Hence, the reason that the genius was so not looking forward to his next appointment._

 _Mikey's overly cheery voice pulled Donnie away from his thoughts and the genius quickly returned his focus onto finishing up with his little brother's exam. After all, the sooner he wrapped up his ministrations, the sooner he could get to work on cleaning up the mess that he had left in his lab. He had never had a chance to clean up his failed experiment from earlier, because not long after, he had bolted out of the lair in a huff, setting off the whole dreadful chain of events of the evening. Just the thought of what had happened that night once again caused Donnie to get lost in his head, but Mikey was quick to drag him back out._

" _Yeah, well maybe we should find out what kind of chemical it was, because those gyozas were all kinds of yummy," Mikey almost sang out, as if what he was proposing was a good thing._

 _Donnie shook his head from side to side. Only Mikey would suggest that they start seasoning their food with high-dose sedatives . . ._

 _The genius turtle paused for a few moments before responding, assuming that Raph would chime in at any second with some sort of a snide comment after Mikey had set him up so nicely, but much to Donnie's surprise, a comment never came. He glanced over at his immediate older brother to see that he wasn't paying attention to a word that they had been saying. The hothead was too caught up in his own thoughts._

 _It had been a rough night on all of them . . ._

" _I . . . I don't really have a way to determine what kind of chemical they used on you, Mikey. Sorry," Donnie lied, but he only did so to protect his family. Yes, he could have run some bloodwork on Mikey to find out what chemical was in his system, but he had decided against it. He figured that if he discovered what the chemical had been, it would just encourage Mikey to start slipping drugs into their food without warning._

" _Well, when we find Karai, we can ask her what was in them," Mikey said, not realizing what he had done until he was about halfway through his sentence. His tone had started out cheery, as usual, but by the time that he was done with what he had to say, the cheer was completely removed from his voice._

 _The lab fell silent. They were all upset over the mere mention of Karai._

 _Riddled with guilt over being the one who had accidentally caused the awkward moment, Mikey rubbed the back of his neck and glanced around the lab nervously, trying to think of some way to fix what he had just done. It was then that it finally occurred to him that one brother was missing._

" _Hey! How come Leo doesn't have to get a checkup?" Mikey asked and his voice took on a screechy quality._

 _Donnie flinched at the question, not really sure how to answer. Luckily, his brain was still functional enough to swiftly whip up a response._

" _Leo . . . He was able to get out of his trap before it did any harm," Donnie responded impassively, hoping that Mikey wouldn't question him any further on the matter. Donnie really didn't feel up to talking about anything having to do with his oldest brother right now._

" _So was I," Mikey whined, acting like a little kid who didn't want to get his shots._

" _I know, but Leo didn't nearly get electrocuted, Mikey," Donnie pointed out and the new subject matter inspired him to check on Mikey's heart rate one more time. The genius turtle was still a bit paranoid that the electrical shocks that had run through Mikey via that hateful helmet may have possibly done some internal damage._

" _Oh yeah . . . " Mikey moaned at the memory. "You know, I gotta admit . . . that seriously hurt, bro."_

 _Mikey stared down at his hands for a moment. His palms and his fingertips were still a little red from where he had held onto that helmet for too long. It almost looked like he had gotten a bad case of sunburn. Then, realization hit him like a handful of shurikens. Mikey peered up at Donnie with his large, childlike eyes._

" _Donnie . . . How many times did you get zapped by that thing?"_

 _Upon hearing that inquiry, Donnie lowered his head and stared down at his arms. Thankfully, Mikey had never been all that observant, so he had failed to notice the numerous wounds covering his brainy brother's arms, the worst of which were around Donnie's wrists. The purple-banded turtle quickly hid his wrists out of sight before Mikey could notice them._

 _If he told Mikey how many times he had actually been shocked, his little brother would have wigged out and gotten everyone else in the lair all spun up. There was no sense in that. It was late and they all needed their rest._

 _Then, without warning, every muscle in Donnie's body involuntarily contracted for one split second, like a full-body hiccup. It was presumably just another phantom shock. He had been suffering from them since his little brother had freed him from his trap, but they had been getting further and further apart. It had probably been over ten minutes since the last time his body had unexpectedly convulsed like that. He had actually thought that the phantom tremors had gone away up until just a few seconds ago. Their return was just another painful reminder of the torture than he had endured._

 _Fourteen times . . ._

 _That was how many times Donnie had been zapped altogether by Karai's deadly trap._

 _Fourteen times . . ._

 _The amperage of each shock that he had taken had been slightly higher than the previous one, thus bringing him closer and closer to actually getting 'brain fried,' just as Karai had forewarned. If his brothers wouldn't have gotten to him when they had, he guessed that the shocks would have soon reached fatal levels._

 _Donatello would have been lying if he would have said that he wasn't concerned that the repeated shocks to his system may have done permanent neurological and/or cardiac damage. After all, sustained exposure to that high of voltage should have theoretically killed him, but his initial examination of himself had surprisingly revealed that he had received nothing more than heavy bruising from the jerking that the shocks had caused and numerous first-degree burns at the entrance and exit sites of the currents that had coursed through him. He had even somehow managed to not get severely burned by the flashovers that the electrical charges had produced._

 _He knew that he should have just been grateful that he had walked away from the ordeal with only minor injuries instead of questioning and overthinking his good fortune, but the logical part of his brain could not help but to seek out answers for why he had survived. That's how his brain worked. He wanted to understand what had happened to him . . ._

 _Donnie internalized a dejected sigh as he momentarily watched his body continue to lightly shudder._

 _It was clear to him that not all of his injuries were minor. While the physical wounds themselves had not been all that serious, the mental ones that he had sustained from the ordeal possibly were. The presence of phantom shocks indicated that he was suffering from posttraumatic stress, which meant that he had incurred psychological damage. This type of damage was a lot harder to treat than a simple bruise or a burn . . ._ _This type of damage was something that he wasn't even sure how to fix . . ._

 _The genius turtle shook his throbbing head once again as he forced himself to put his problems on a shelf in the back of his mind. He could privately deal with his emotional issues at another time. Right now, he needed to answer the question about how many shocks he had received, but he had to do so in a way that wouldn't give his baby brother a panic attack. He decided that it was necessary to lie to his younger brother for the second time in less than five minutes, but again, it was for Mikey's protection._

" _Not that many . . . I was actually starting to get pretty good at 'The Brain Boggler' game. I mean, I know I'm not a gamer like you, but I think you would have been impressed with my 'mad skills,'" Donnie said teasingly, trying his best to sound like Mikey when he said the words 'mad skills.' The genius painted on a small smile, but he could not make it stick. His face fell into a deep frown without his consent as he once again found himself thinking about what had happened that night. He had failed his family so very badly. They had all been counting on him and he had let them down. They probably all blamed him for what had happened . . ._

" _Yeah, boy! Like I said earlier . . . 'I was born with a naturally rare awesomeness,'" Mikey quoted himself with a big grin, but that grin soon faded when he saw how Donnie all of the sudden looked super down in the dumps. The genius turtle had on that same sad face that he had had on when they had lost Metalhead or when April had said that she didn't want to see them anymore. Or worse, when they had left New York after the Kraang invasion and Leo was in that coma for like ever. Back when Donnie had gotten really, really sick . . . Mikey didn't want to think about that time. He wasn't even supposed to. Raph had told him that if he ever brought it up again, he'd have his shell._

 _Mikey just hoped that Donnie wasn't feeling that down again. The youngest turtle was sure that he couldn't go through that a second time._

" _Is something wrong, Donnie?" Mikey asked and his bright eyes were teeming with genuine concern that made Donnie nearly lose his composure on the spot, but he somehow managed to keep it together._

" _No . . . It's just . . . I wanted to thank you . . . for removing that helmet. You . . . you risked your life for me. You didn't have to do that, Mikey," Donnie said, struggling to keep the tremor out of his voice as he expressed his gratitude to his baby brother._

" _What are you talkin' about, D? Of course I had to do it! You're my best bud. You would've done the same for me, 'cause that's what bros do. They look out for one another. I'll always have your – " Before Mikey could finish what he was trying to say, Donnie lunged forward and wrapped his arms around him, tighter than Mikey ever remembered his brainy brother hugging him before._

 _A hugger by nature, Mikey happily returned his big brother's embrace. He squeezed back with just as much force as Donnie was using, which unknowingly caused his older brother even more discomfort than he was already feeling inside, but the brainiac didn't make a peep. He just kept holding on._

 _After a long minute had passed, Donnie finally slackened his grasp on his little brother and backed away. Mikey could see that his brainy brother's face seemed a little flusher than it had been before the hug. He just assumed that meant that his big brother was somewhat embarrassed by what had just happened._

"' _You okay, bro?" Mikey asked in a tone that couldn't possibly have been any sweeter, and again, Donnie just about lost his grip on his composure._

 _Taking in a deep breath, Donnie attempted to collect himself before responding._

" _Yeah . . . I'm fine . . . You should probably go to bed now, Mikey," Donnie suggested, purposely avoiding eye contact with his younger brother, afraid that even unperceptive Mikey would be able to see the tears gathering in his eyes at this point._

" _Aw! But I didn't even get to tell you about the 'The Flush-O-Matic' yet, or, as I like to call it, 'The Dump of Doom,'" Mikey said, doing his best to sound spooky as he spoke the words 'The Dump of Doom.' He even widened his eyes for added effect._

" _You can tell me all about it tomorrow, Mikey. Right now, you need to get some rest," Donnie responded in a no-nonsense tone, but Mikey still didn't take the obvious hint._

" _But – " Mikey attempted to argue his way out of bedtime again, but he was abruptly cut off._

" _Doctor's orders, Mikey. I need to treat Raph, now. I'll see you in the morning." Donnie's voice was firm, but there was a warm expression gracing his face that made Mikey smile._

" _Goodnight, Mikey."_

" _Goodnight, D."_

 _Mikey then trudged out of his older brother's lab on the heaviest of feet. Sleep was calling his name and he wasn't about to ignore it._

* * *

Letting out a long sigh, Mikey started to pet his genius brother's head dotingly with his free hand. His other hand still clung tightly to Donnie's limp hand.

 _I should have known you weren't fine, bro. I should have stayed with you . . ._

A tear rolled down Mikey's cheek and plummeted down onto Donnie's arm. Mikey would have wiped the condensation away, but more tears just kept right on coming. He found himself wishing that his brainy big brother would wake up and chew him out for dripping on him, but Donnie didn't budge. Not at all.

Mikey wondered if Donnie knew how much he was breaking his heart right now . . .

Just as the youngest turtle was about to start sobbing again, the two oldest turtles returned to the Dojo with pillows, blankets, and tatami mats tucked under their arms.

Mikey's smile stretched out a mile wide as he watched Raph and Leo start setting up three makeshift beds beside Donnie's mat. It had been years since they had done something like this, but Mikey instantly loved the idea. He pulled his mat as close to Donnie's mat as he could get it, and then, the youngest turtle cuddled up against his brainy big brother's left side. Mikey held onto Donnie's hand the whole time. While Mikey had gotten situated, Raph had sprawled out to Donnie's right. The red-clad turtle was now resting his head against his pillow and his arm across his injured brother's mid-plastron. He had pulled his blanket over the both of them. Leo was the last to lie down, curling up on his side so that his body was coiled next to Donnie's head. Leo then gently placed his hand on Donnie's upper plastron as he closed his eyes.

By the time Master Splinter came back out to the Dojo, there were four turtles slumbering in a huddle on the floor, the way that they used to do when they were very, very young and one or more of them was sick, frightened, or hurt. A soft smile tugged up the corners of the tired old rat's mouth as he stood there for a few minutes, silently watching his sons as they slept. He then turned back towards his room to get some much-needed rest, confident that Donatello was in good hands.

* * *

 _ **To be continued . . .**_

 _ ***Author's Notes: Donnie's three brothers falling asleep next to him was one of my favorite scenes to write in this story.**_ _ **I really hope that you liked this chapter. Thank you so much for reading. Please continue to favorite/follow/review if you are enjoying this story. I would love to hear from you. ;) CJ**_

 _ ***Special Note: To my amazing friend, Rascalkat, I hope that you liked the closure. I adore you! :}**_


	17. Chapter 17 - YNHND

_***Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.**_

 _ ***Author's Notes: Here's chapter 17 of 'You're Needed Here Now, Donnie' and I think it's the chapter that most of you have been waiting for . . . =}**_

 _ **Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to read, review, favorite, and follow me and my stories. I really appreciate all of the support that everyone has given me. I truly hope that you are enjoying what I have written.**_

 _ **I know that I say this a lot, but please continue to favorite/follow/review my stories if you like them. It's always nice to know if people are still reading . . . Thanks, again! ;) CJ**_

* * *

 **Chapter 17 – You're Needed Here Now, Donnie**

Pitch black was being infiltrated by scattered spates of light, gradually breaking up the all-encompassing darkness that oblivion had brought. Random thoughts began to fill the void that had been dormant for so long, falling into place as if they were carefree leaves gliding on a gentle breeze. Little by little, this tangle of thoughts became more and more focused, until finally, an extraordinary mind was functional once again.

 _Ugh . . . Did somebody get the name of that bus?_ The now-coherent turtle mentally groaned.

The first thing that Donatello noticed after his intelligence had been restored was that his brain seemed to be the only part of him that was fully operational. The rest of him was clearly struggling to catch up. The second thing that he noticed was that there were faint voices wafting all around him, swirling all about like billowy clouds that were just beyond his reach. The next thing that he noticed was that his eyes would not open, no matter how hard he tried to pry them apart. It was as if someone had crazy glued them shut, which he certainly would not have put past his prankster baby brother.

 _Mikey didn't dub himself 'Dr. Prankenstein' for nothing._

While Donatello waited for the rest of his body to start working again, he concentrated on the voices surrounding him. The sound quality of the voices was poor at best, muffled and distorted, like someone was speaking to him from another room while tightly covering their mouth. _No_ . . . perhaps it sounded more like they were talking underwater, but even in his sensory impaired state, he knew there wasn't much likelihood of that being the case here. Especially knowing that speech requires air in both the lungs and larynx in order to produce the energy necessary to generate sound. Air that one could not acquire if fully submersed in water or any other kind of liquid, for that matter. The voice box did not function very well without oxygen. Everyone knew that.

 _Well, maybe not everyone . . ._

Now that he had ruled out the underwater possibility –

 _No! Wait, wait . . ._

Okay . . . he hadn't totally ruled it out just yet. There were still too many variables in the equation. He had to deliberate over it for just a little bit longer in order to satisfy his insatiable curiosity.

 _It could be that whoever is trying to talk to me could possibly be communicating through an underwater breathing apparatus_ , he thought, but quickly dismissed the idea for the simple reason that it was ludicrous. If someone would have been speaking to him underwater and he was able to hear it, that would most likely mean that he, too, was underwater and he was almost positive that he would be able to tell if he was immersed in fluid. The fact that he was able to inhale and exhale perfectly fine was substantiating proof of that, because the last time that he had checked, he hadn't been able to breathe so well underwater. Contrary to popular belief, he knew that not _all_ species of turtles can actually breathe underwater. Hence, the reason that he had nearly drowned in a sewer pool when he was five years old. That was one experiment that certainly did not bear repeating.

But he digressed.

 _All right, based off of my findings, I think I can now safely assume that water is not a factor here . . ._

Donnie then came to the undeniable conclusion that he was way overthinking things yet again. It was no wonder his brothers were always rolling their eyes at him when he started thinking out loud. If he could open his eyes right now, he'd be doing the same thing.

Clearing his head as best he could, Donatello tried to focus on the actual sounds still floating above him rather than letting his mind wander off every which way. Sometimes, it was hard to concentrate when his hyperactive brain was constantly firing off countless hypotheses as to why things worked the way that they did.

 _With great knowledge comes endless possibilities . . . or something like that . . ._

The voices around him were slowly starting to increase in volume and clarity, but he still found himself straining to fine tune them into something even remotely articulate. As near as he could tell from the detectable inflections and timbres resonating in at different intervals, there were at least three or four diverse vocal patterns sounding off.

An unknown period of time passed as he waited for the voices to become more comprehensible. A part of him had been filled with dread over the thought that one of the voices that he was hearing could be that of Chris Bradford – or even the Shredder himself – but the closer he listened to the voices, the more at ease he felt. Even though he could not understand what was being said to him, there was something warm and comforting about the sounds that made him feel secure.

After a while, the jumbled and unintelligible syllables gradually converted into occasional words here and there. Eventually, those words transformed into structured sentences, but Donatello's brain was still having a hard time deciphering them.

Another indefinite stretch of time elapsed before his mind finally regained the ability to translate English once again.

What he heard made him want to jump for joy.

"Donatello, it is time for you to return to us, my son."

 _That voice! That wonderful, wonderful voice!_

His father was with him and he immediately knew that meant that he was safe and sound.

Oh, how he had missed that voice!

As much as he wanted to open his eyes so that he could set them upon his father, he could not . . . and that was not for lack of trying. Something was not right. He had this strange feeling, as though he was drifting and there was nothing to anchor him down to reality. He could hear his father's pleas for him to wake up, but he could not move. Not one little muscle.

The uplifting sense of security that hearing his father's voice had brought was now gone, quickly replaced by an overwhelming sense of fear.

Why couldn't he move?

Was this sleep paralysis or was it something far worse?

The last truly lucid thing that Donnie remembered before this point was leaping off of a balcony to take out Chris Bradford in order to save Raph. Then, all had gone black, save for a small period of semi-consciousness, but he wasn't even sure if that had actually happened. It could have just as soon been a dream or a hallucination brought on by his head injury, because the whole thing had seemed a little too muddled and hazy to be real.

Donnie thought about the balcony once again.

Had the fall caused damage to his spinal cord? Had he lost all voluntary muscle function or even autonomic function as a result of the fall? Well, at least he was breathing of his own volition, which meant that his lungs were able to perform without the aid of a respirator. Of course, he should have figured that out right away, because if his lungs hadn't been working, his family wouldn't have been able to do anything about it and he'd be dead.

 _Way to look on the bright side, Donatello . . ._

The question was, was this paralysis transient or permanent? Then, he had to wonder if his family had the foresight to stabilize his spine before moving him in order to minimize the damage to his nervous system? And there was the question of whether he was going to be a quadriplegic or a paraplegic? Either way, how would he be able to maneuver a wheelchair around the lair when there were so many stairs? And how would he be able to wield his bo-staff from a seated position? And –

Donnie stopped himself mid-thought and took in a deep breath.

His overactive brain was at it again, off and running with conjectures. His rational mind finally grabbed hold of the reins and informed him that the whole time that he had been having an internal panic attack, he had been clenching his fingers and toes.

 _And there I go, putting the cart ahead of the horse again._

He should have known better. He was allegedly the smart one, after all. It should have occurred to him that his ankle had been killing him, which meant that he did not have complete sensory loss. He should have given his body a little more time to come around before jumping to the conclusion that he was going to spend the rest of his life confined to a wheelchair.

 _And here I thought that Mikey was a drama turtle . . ._

It was times like these that Donatello wondered if the vast amount of medical knowledge that he had accumulated through the years was more detrimental than helpful. Sometimes, knowing the potential worst case scenarios made him far more paranoid than the average turtle.

"Look! He's moving his fingers! I think he's coming to!"

All of Donnie's disorganized thoughts coalesced, allowing him to center his attention on that one voice. That voice was a no-brainer. Donnie would recognize his baby brother's voice anywhere.

 _Ah, Mikey. My dear little brother. So sweet . . . So innocent . . . So full of energy . . ._

"Come on, D! Time to wakey-wakey, bro!"

 _. . . So noisy . . ._

Michelangelo's earsplitting voice served as an unpleasant reminder of the head injury that Donatello had suffered.

Donnie tried to lift his arms up so that he could press his hands against his pulsating head, but all he could manage to do was twitch a couple of fingers.

"There! He totally moved his fingers that time! Did you see it?"

Though the volume of his younger brother's voice was making Donnie's head pound harder, the excitement that kindled his brother's words made his heart soar.

It was far better than when Donnie had heard that same voice say:

" _Donnie, you tried your best, brah . . . even if it totally sucked."_

And it was light years better than when that same voice had once uttered to Snakeweed:

" _No! Not the pizza guy! Take Donnie!"_

Even though Mikey didn't always say the right thing at the right time, he always meant well. His heart was as big as they came and that was just one of the many reasons why Donnie treasured his baby brother. It was also one of the reasons why he hadn't permanently banished Mikey from his lab. Sure, Mikey's constant blundering could really grate on a turtle's nerves, but Donnie wouldn't trade Mikey for anything. Not even if someone were to offer him the world's fastest supercomputer . . .

Never wanting to let his little brother down in any way, Donnie attempted to force his eyelids apart, but still, they would not open. He wasn't even sure if he had gotten them to flutter. Then, he started to worry that maybe Mikey really had glued them shut. His younger brother did have a history of pulling pranks on them while they were sleeping.

 _Mikey_! Donnie shouted in his head.

Then came another voice that Donnie instantly knew.

"Come on, Donnie. Open your eyes, little brother . . . "

It belonged to his most volatile brother.

Even though Donnie was thrilled to hear that Raph was okay, the sound of his immediate older brother's voice still made his heart sink. That was because it was the same brother that had said:

" _Donnie couldn't turn you human again, even if he wanted to."_

" _Donnie isn't capable of making retro mutagen. You know it and I know it."_

" _He couldn't reproduce a batch of that stuff if his life depended on it."_

" _He isn't capable of making you human. He's not smart enough."_

It was also the same brother who had spoken such unforgettable lines as:

" _Nice work. When we're done here, there's a marching band that needs a majorette."_

" _If we explode, I swear I'll slap the green off you!"_

" _You say that one more time and I'll shove your head in this sewage!"_

" _Wait . . . You still think you have a shot with her? Wow. That is so adorable . . . and sad. It's . . . sadorable."_

" _Do it . . . better!"_

" _I will smack you out of your shell!"_

" _Wow, Donnie . . . I thought you had me there for a second, but that was just embarrassing."_

" _You know what else is an option? Slapping you!"_

If there was a market for merchandising demotivational posters, Raph would be a billionaire.

All of the sudden, Donnie's need to open his eyes didn't seem quite so pressing anymore. Thinking back to all of those cruel things that Raph had said to him didn't make Donnie feel much like waking up at all. In fact, the memories of quotes past made him want curl up into a ball and make himself as small as possible. Maybe if he curled himself up tight enough, he could make himself disappear. Maybe that would make his second oldest brother happy.

 _You're right, Raph. I'm not smart enough . . . and I'm a lousy ninja. It's no wonder you don't like me . . ._

Donnie's thoughts turned bleak, until Raph's voice rang out again.

"Please, Donnie . . . if you can hear us, we need you to wake up. _I_ need you to wake up. Please, little brother. You have to be okay. _I . . . I_ can't lose you _. I_ don't know what I'd do . . . "

There was heavy emphasis placed on the word "I" every time that Raph had spoken it. If Donnie didn't know any better, he could have sworn that his older brother's voice was verging on desperate and he even sounded . . . _scared_? Not like the kind of scared that Raph got whenever he saw a cockroach, but scared nonetheless. Donnie didn't think that he had ever heard his tough big brother sound quite this way. At least not about him . . .

"Just open your eyes for me, Donnie boy. Please don't make me grovel here," Raph added and a tremor shook the hothead's normally unshakable voice.

Donnie could feel the grip around one of his hands become unbearably tense. So much so, he started to worry about his circulation being cut off. He attempted to squeeze back or even just pull away, but failed.

 _I'm trying, Raph. I'm really trying to get back to you guys, but I can't . . ._

"He's not waking up, guys. Why isn't he waking up?"

The distress in Mikey's tone was tragic and hearing it only made Donnie that much more impatient with his inability to respond.

"Perhaps Donatello still requires more rest, my sons. I will stay with him. Why don't the three of you get something to eat?"

 _No! Don't leave! Please, don't leave me!_ Donatello screamed in his head as he frantically tried to move anything that might indicate that he could hear his family.

"Ooh! Ooh! Wait! I know what'll do the trick!" Mikey exclaimed and he was obviously excited about something.

Donnie internally shuddered with dread over what Mikey had just said, but unless his body started functioning again within the next few seconds or so, there was nothing that he could do to defend himself from whatever it was that his little brother now had in mind. And then, to make matters even more stressful, Donnie felt the hold on his left hand disappear. He assumed that that meant that Mikey had placed his hand down so that he could set his 'trick' into motion.

 _Come on, Donnie. You've got to get up before Mikey gets back! You can do this!_

With all of his strength, Donnie willed his body to move. This time, he got his now-deserted left hand to lift up ever-so slightly. Fortunately, it had been enough to draw attention to it.

"Look at that! He moved his hand!" Raph cheered with much more enthusiasm than Donnie had expected to hear.

Suddenly, Donnie felt his hand in someone's grip once again, and then, came the one voice that had been missing the whole time. Other than Donnie's own, of course . . .

"Donnie, can you hear us? If you can, I want you to squeeze my hand."

That voice made Donnie's breath catch in his throat. He could still hear that voice, clear as day, saying:

" _Donnie, you know how much this means to Sensei."_

" _Well, try harder."_

Try harder.

 _Try harder . . ._

Even if Donnie could have opened his eyes at this point, he wouldn't have. He didn't want his family to see the tears accruing behind his sealed eyelids.

He had tried so hard, and still, Leo was utterly disappointed in him.

It seemed like all he ever did was disappoint his oldest brother . . .

" _Great, Donnie, great. Not only did we lose the Kraang, but Metalhead blew up our only clue to where they went."_

" _Seriously, Donnie? A submarine powered by bicycles?"_

" _But you're not leader, Donnie! I am!"_

" _Tickle ray? Real useful upgrade, Donnie."_

" _Donnie, we're running out of time."_

"' _Uh-oh?' Donnie, you said you knew how to do this!"_

" _Worst invention ever."_

" _What? There's a force field? Why didn't you tell me?"_

" _This is ridiculous, Donnie. It takes the whole point out of being a ninja."_

A lone tear escaped the outside corner of Donnie's left eye and the drop of moisture started to run down his maskless face, but someone was quick to wipe it away with the tenderness of a feather. Donnie then felt a warm hand gently stroking his cheek, and, even without being able to see who it was, Donnie had no doubt in his mind that it was Leo. His deduction wasn't based on a sixth sense or gut intuition kind of thing, nor was it just some lucky guess. It was founded solely on logic. One, the hand was three digits and not furry, ruling out Master Splinter. Two, the hand was not rough and callused, ruling out Raph. Three, the hand was not sticky or clammy and there was no audio accompaniment, ruling out Mikey. So, logically, it stood to reason that it was Leo's hand on his face. That is, unless his family had taken in some other three-fingered mutant during his hiatus.

 _Mikey does have a propensity for bringing home random creatures . . ._

The sound of Leonardo's voice snapped Donnie out his thoughts and the genius turtle soon noticed that his oldest brother sounded far different than what he was accustomed to hearing. The certainty and confidence that Leo normally exuded was not there. Like Raph, Leo sounded scared, but Donnie could also hear an element of devastation coming through, leaving the brainy turtle to speculate just how badly he had gotten hurt.

"Donnie, I know you can hear me. Maybe that's why you won't open your eyes. I guess I can't blame you. If I were you, I wouldn't want to look at me, either, but you need to come back to us, Donnie. You don't have to do it for me, but please, do it for your family. Mikey's totally lost without you. We all are, Donnie. Believe me when I say that we love you and we need you back," Leo implored and Donnie was suddenly finding it difficult to breathe, as if the amount of air in the room had been significantly depleted. Chances were, that wasn't actually the case, but that's what it felt like to Donnie as he kept listening to Leo.

"I'm so sorry for hurting you, Donnie. I wish that I could take back every single word that I said to you last night. I was stupid. So, so stupid. If I could go back, I would tell you how proud I am of you. How proud I am to be your brother. I would tell you how amazing you are and how much I appreciate all that you do for us. I would tell you that there is no one on this earth that tries harder than you do. No. One. Period. And I know, without a doubt, that you would do anything to keep us safe, including sacrificing yourself just to protect us. You are selfless, crazy-intelligent, and kinder than anyone I have ever known. It is such a privilege to call you brother, Donatello . . ."

As Leo continued to speak, Donnie could feel all of his muscles start to prickle and tingle, like his entire body had been asleep for months and it was just starting to wake from a state of deep hibernation. At the same time, he felt a slight shiver of horror join the tingling sensation when heard his baby brother return from wherever it was that he had run off to. Donnie was still a little nervous about what exact method Mikey had in store for waking him up. What made him even more nervous was the fact that he couldn't even brace himself for the worst.

In the meantime, Leo had kept right on talking.

". . . I'm so sorry for not telling you these things sooner and I'm sorry if I made you think for one second that I didn't care about you. Nothing could be further from the truth, Donatello. Finding that cure was never more important than you. Never . . . I just hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me for all the wrongs that I've done . . . "

While Leo went on and on and on, Donnie noticed that he had regained most of his mobility in his uninjured leg and he started to flex his foot, but no one even noticed that he was moving his lower leg. That was because they were all too caught up in staring at his flickering eyelids, with the exception of Leo, who was too preoccupied in carrying on with his epic soliloquy that pretty much everyone had stopped listening to at this point. Everyone but Donnie . . .

". . . I know now how hard you tried to come up with that serum for Karai . . . To the point that you made yourself sick, but I selfishly put my needs before your well-being, and for that, I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am. I promise you that I will do everything that I can to make it up to you, but first, you've got to wake up for us. Please! You're needed here now, Donnie. I know I said that to you before you left the lair last night, but I don't know if you realized just how much I meant it. We need you so much, Donnie. More than you will ever know. Please . . . open your eyes, little brother," Leo choked out and his breath audibly shuddered.

"They already are, you dork," Raph snorted with his usual absence of savoir faire, reaping him an owlish glare from Master Splinter.

It took several seconds for Leo's brain to register just what Raph had meant, and in those few seconds, the red-clad ninja seized the opportunity to throw out another wisecrack. He knew full well that his snide remark may earn him a crack to the head from Master Splinter's cane, but somehow, the satisfaction of dissing Leonardo was worth the possible risk of getting knocked flat on his shell.

"So are you done, Fearless? Because I thought we were trying to wake Donnie up, not put him back to sleep," Raph quipped and followed with a shrewd smirk that Leo did not notice. The oldest turtle's attention was zeroed in on Donnie, who was currently peering up at him with a doe-eyed stare.

"Hey," Donnie squeaked and flashed Leo a fragile smile that showed off how very weak he still was. It was evident that the genius turtle wasn't going to be up to running any marathons anytime soon, but then again, no one had expected that he would be. Especially not on a severely sprained ankle . . .

"D – Donnie," Leo stuttered, stumbling over his little brother's nickname, clearly shocked to see that said brother was awake. Once reality sank in, a huge smile spread across Leo's face, casting away the dreariness that had been darkening his features for the better part of the past twenty four hours.

"H – hey, little brother," Leo uttered and he moved his hand up to stroke the top of Donnie's head while he lowered his own head to get closer to the genius turtle. It was then that a thick slice of pizza partially obstructed Leo's view of his brainy brother.

"Mikey, what is wrong with you? Quit shoving that piece of pizza in Donnie's face!" Raph growled at his baby brother, who was being a serious pain in the shell right now. Ever since Mikey had temporarily left the Dojo and returned with that slab of leftover pizza in his hand, the youngest turtle had kept waving the pizza wedge in front of Donnie's face every so often in an effort to get his older brother to come to. Raph would have slapped Mikey's hand away if he wasn't afraid that it might inadvertently cause his youngest brother to drop the pizza right on Donnie. Knowing Mikey as well as he thought he did, Raph figured that the little runt wouldn't hesitate to lick poor Donnie's face clean.

"I'm just trying to help him wake up. And it's Donnie's favorite! Jellybean, anchovy, and jalapeño!" Mikey proclaimed, jiggling the pizza slice in front of Raph for dramatic effect. As Mikey wagged the pizza around, a lone yellow jellybean broke free from the once-molten cheese atop the now-cold pizza. The chewy piece of candy rolled across the tatami mats spread out on the Dojo floor until the jellybean's momentum was ceased by Raph's kneepad.

"That's your favorite, Mikey! And that stupid 'wake someone up by shoving pizza under their nose' trick only works on you! Besides, he's already awake, you nitwit!" Raph barked, picking up the runaway jellybean and flicking it at Mikey's plastron.

Leo did his best to ignore his bickering brothers as he continued to stare down at Donnie, but he couldn't help but to shake his head over Raph and Mikey's antics. The brother that they had been agonizing over all this time had just woken up, but yet, there the two of them were, fighting over a piece of pizza.

Some things never changed . . .

"Hey, that's a perfectly good jellybean, brah!" Mikey disbelievingly scolded, shaking a forefinger at Raph. The orange-clad ninja then leaned forward and plucked the fallen candy up off of the floor. He popped the small confection into his mouth, not willing to let any form of food go to waste. Even if that food had been on the floor. He'd eaten far, far worse. To Mikey, there was no such thing as a five second rule. Not even a five week rule . . .

Raph rolled his eyes upwards and bit back the insult on the tip of his tongue that he knew his father would frown upon. He instead turned his attention to his second youngest brother, figuring that that would be time much better spent than harassing Mikey, who was the easiest mark of them all.

"Uhh . . . how long was I out for?" Donnie groaned, wincing in pain. He would have attempted to get up, but his head said no.

"Long enough to totally give a turtle a nervous breakdown! That's how long, bro!" Mikey squawked out as he scooted closer to his brainy big brother so that he could fondly pet him on the arm. Now, that Donnie was awake, Mikey couldn't seem to wipe the grin off of his face. It was like his smile muscles were stuck that way, but he could have cared less about it right now. His big brother was back. That was all he cared about.

"I missed you so much, D!"

Upon hearing his younger brother's heartfelt declaration, Donnie could only smile in response, afraid that if he made any attempt to speak after that, he would lose it for sure . . .

"You were unconscious for about sixteen hours, Donnie," was Leo's answer to his genius brother's question and the leader's once-huge smile shifted into a more compassionate expression that better demonstrated how worried he still was about his little brother.

"S – sixteen hours?" Donnie coughed out of his dry and scratchy throat while he quizzically looked back and forth between his family members, trying to move his aching head as little as possible as he did so. It was then that he noticed the crumpled up pile of blankets and pillows all around him.

"Wait . . . Y – You guys slept in here? You . . . you stayed with me the whole time?"

"Of course we did. Where else would we go? You know, if you keep getting knocked out like that, Donnie, I'm gonna force you to wear a helmet every time we go topside. You scared the heck out of us, little brother," Raph stated, lightly hitting his knuckles against Donnie's shoulder.

"S – sorry," Donnie uttered, gingerly turning his head away from Raph so that his big brother couldn't see his reaction to what he had just said.

As he watched his genius brother clearly shy away from him, Raph realized what a horrible remark that he had just made. After all that had happened, the first thing that he had done was threaten to make Donnie wear a helmet.

 _A helmet of all things!_

Raph mentally cursed himself for being an idiot.

 _Even Mikey knows better than to go and say something like that . . ._

Now that Raph was staring at the back of his genius brother's head, he had a chance to take a good, long look at the red marks along Donnie's scalp. He had not noticed them up until now and he soon realized that the marks had been left behind by Karai's helmet. That dumb helmet had burned his little brother's skin when it had nearly electrocuted him. Raph's thoughts quickly turned bitter. Even if Karai had been under the control of a Brain Worm, the turtle in red still couldn't help but to feel anger towards her for what she had done to his brothers. Master Splinter's daughter or not, Raph did not feel that he could ever trust her after she had hurt his family so badly.

As Raph stared down at the many injuries that tarnished his genius brother's skin, he felt his animosity continue to climb to new heights.

How could he ever be expected to forgive Karai for this?

In the back of his mind, Raph could still see Donnie's entire body jerking and convulsing from the electrical shocks that that helmet of Karai's had sent through him over and over again. The memory still haunted him. He couldn't even begin to imagine how painful those memories must have been for Donnie to relive, having been the one who had endured such torture. And then, Raph had to go and drudge it up when the genius had just woken up.

Raph mentally cursed himself once again with words he knew that his father would never approve of. He then attempted to make amends for his thoughtlessness.

"I'm sorry, Donnie. I shouldn't have said that," Raph mumbled and his guilt was evident. As he had spoken the words, he started to think about all of the other things that he shouldn't have said and done to Donnie, back when they had been at the fortune cookie factory. There were so many things that he needed to ask forgiveness for, but suddenly, the words would not come. And then, his brainiac brother had to go and apologize instead . . .

"It's okay, Raph. I'm sorry for scaring you." Donnie's voice was no more than a whisper as he turned back towards his big brother, but his eyes did not travel up to meet Raph's. He was purposely avoiding everyone's stares, embarrassed by all of the attention that he was receiving.

Hating the sound of his little brother's needless apology, Raph opened his mouth to speak, but Master Splinter beat him to it.

"There is nothing to be sorry for, Donatello. We are all just so very grateful to have you back. How do you feel, my son?" Master Splinter asked as he placed a paw over Donatello's forehead for both his own comfort as well as his ailing son's.

"I . . . I feel fine."

When Donnie gazed up at his family to give them a look of reassurance, he quickly noticed that they were all staring down at him with surprisingly hardened expressions, notifying him that his usual 'I'm fine' spiel wasn't going to work on them this time.

"Okay, okay . . . I'm not exactly _fine_ , but I feel a lot better than I did the last time I was awake. Honestly . . . Listen, I'm really sorry for making all of you worry. I know that I messed up and I – " Donnie tried to apologize again, but no one was willing to let him continue.

"No, Donnie. No more apologies . . . and no more blaming yourself for any of this. None of this would have happened if I wouldn't have pushed you so hard. If anyone should be apologizing here, it should be me, Donnie," Leo said firmly, but his eyes conveyed nothing but regret.

"But I shouldn't have left – "

"No buts, Donnie. You left because of me and how badly I treated you. End of story. None of this is your fault. You did everything you could to help Karai and I was too blind to see just how hard you had tried. I'm a terrible brother," Leo groaned miserably as he continued to softly stroke his brother's head.

"Don't say that!" Donnie said much sharper than anyone had anticipated.

Before his brothers or father could stop him, Donnie pushed himself into a somewhat seated position, shockingly without assistance from anyone.

The family watched on nervously as Donnie's arms begin to shake from the obvious strain of trying to hold himself up. In his currently weakened condition, he was clearly in no shape to be sitting upright on his own, but they all knew how stubborn the genius could be. There was no stopping him when he had his mind set on something, so they all readied themselves to catch him at the first sign of falling.

"You are _not_ a terrible brother, Leo! You're an incredible brother! And I . . . I just admire you so much. I wish that I could be more like you . . . I wish I could be more like all of you. You . . . you all mean so much to me. That's why I didn't want to let any of you down . . . but I did. I tried . . . I tried so hard . . . but I couldn't create a cure . . . I let all of you down in the worst way," Donnie muttered, trying desperately and not succeeding to keep his voice from cracking as he spoke. His mahogany-colored eyes were glistening with dampness while his arms started to shake even worse from overexertion.

Afraid that Donnie was going to collapse at any moment, Leo oh-so carefully folded his arms around his little brother and drew him into a gentle yet somehow fierce embrace. The oldest turtle held onto his injured brother as though he was attempting to convey every ounce of sorrow and remorse he that had been feeling inside with this single tender and intimate gesture.

"Oh, Donnie. You have never let me down. Not ever, little brother."

As Leo pulled him near, Donnie instinctively buried his face into the sturdy shoulder being offered to him, seeking out his big brother's warmth and strength. This moment of comfort was something that Donnie had needed for so long, and now that he had it, he never wanted to let it go. He pressed himself tightly up against his oldest brother and let out a strangled-sounding sob, still desperately trying to cling onto what little remained of his composure, but his hold on his self-control was fading fast.

"I . . . I'm sorry, Leo . . . I – I'm so sorry . . . for everything," Donnie wept into his brother's shoulder and the dam holding his emotions back finally broke. As Donnie finally allowed himself to break down in his brother's arms, tears streamed down Leo's cheeks as well, but he did not brush them away. He wore them proudly.

At long last, Leonardo realized just how much he needed Donnie, and not just for his superior intellect or for his extraordinary mechanical abilities. It was so much more than that. Donnie wasn't just his brother. He was also his friend and his confidant. Donnie was kind to a fault, generous, understanding, trustworthy, and always there for Leo, no matter what. He was the only brother that Leo could talk strategy with. He was the brother that didn't roll his eyes when Leo asked him for advice or just needed someone to talk to. He was the one brother who could listen to him – really listen to him – without bias or preconceived notions. He was the turtle that kept Leo sane.

Donatello was a true gift . . .

"I don't want your apologies, Donnie. I just want you to see yourself for what you truly are, which is amazing. You don't ever need to wish that you were more like us. You're perfect just the way you are. Do have any idea how important you are to us, Donnie? And not because you're super smart or you fix stuff. You're not just some repairman, Donatello. You're so much more than that to us. You're a miracle worker. You're _our_ miracle worker. I know I should say this far more than I do, but thank you . . . thank you for all that you do. Without you . . . well, we'd fall apart. We need you here . . . to keep us together," Leo said, resting his cheek on top of Donnie's much-less feverish head.

As he nuzzled up against his genius brother, Leo pulled him closer and whispered, "I love you so much, otouto."

Donnie let out a small whimper, leaning further into Leo as his heavy sobs started to soften into quiet, intermittent hitches in his breathing.

"We all love you, D," Mikey chimed in, not wanting to be left out of this touching moment. After all, he _was_ the emotional one . . .

"Always, little brother," Raph added with a smirk, but there was warmth blazing in his eyes that Donnie knew was there, even without having seen it.

Again, the genius turtle whimpered and he let out a few small squeaks.

"My son, now that you understand how very loved you are by your family, you must promise to come to us when something is troubling you. Your brothers and I are here for you at all times. You need only ask. Your burdens are not yours alone to carry, Donatello," Master Splinter said, reaching a hand out and curling it around his gentlest son's quaking shoulder.

"Yeah . . . No more taking off on your own in the middle of the night, Donnie. From now on, we do things as a team. We do things together, as a family. Okay?"

Donnie made a sniffling noise and he weakly nodded his head against Leo's shoulder. The genius turtle then felt the embrace around him grow to eight arms wide. Safe in the arms of his family, Donnie had never felt so loved or so needed. And, unlike the night before, he never wanted this night – this moment – to end.

 _Not ever . . ._

* * *

 _ **To be continued . . .**_

 _ ***Author's Notes: Did you like this chapter? I sure hope so! There is only one more posting left to go on this story . . . That makes me super sad. All of you have made this such a wonderful experience for me and you have all been so kind. I hate to see it come to an end . . .**_

 _ **Having said that, I wanted to ask all of you if you would like for me to start posting my story 'Lost in the Fight' after this one? 'Lost in the Fight' is the story that I based 'You're Needed Here Now, Donnie' off of. It is a much longer and more intense version of this story. Please let me know if you are interested in another story like this. I'd love to hear your feedback.**_

 _ **Thank you all so much for reading. If you like this story, please favorite/follow/review so I know that you are enjoying it. Thank you, again! ;) CJ**_


	18. Epilogue - All's Shell

_***Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.**_

 _ ***Author's Notes: Well, we have reached the epilogue of 'You're Needed Here Now, Donnie' and I must admit that this is a very bittersweet moment for me. ;(**_

 _ **Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to read, review, favorite, and follow this story. I want you all to know that I really do appreciate each and every one of you. Your ongoing support has meant the world to me. *hugs***_

 _ **I know that I say this a lot and I probably sound like a broken record player, but please continue to favorite/follow/review this story as well as my other stories if you like them. I would love to know how many people are still reading 'YNHND' now that it has reached the epilogue . . . Thanks, again! ;) CJ**_

 _ **And now, on with the story . . .**_

* * *

 **Epilogue – All's Shell**

"So . . . how does it look?" Donnie queried, leaning his body as far over to the left as he could without causing himself to fall off of the table that he was lying on. He really wanted to get a better look at his ankle now that it was uncovered, but Leo's bulky carapace was obstructing his view.

"It looks pretty good, Donnie. The swelling's almost gone and the bruising is already starting to fade, but I think you'd better stay off it for a few more days, just to be on the safe side. In other words, you're still on restrictions. That means no practice or patrol until at least the weekend. And absolutely _no_ projects or inventions," Leo said in a much stricter tone than seemed necessary. Maybe that was because Doctor Donnie was a rotten patient.

"A few more days? Don't you think you're overreacting? It's just a high ankle sprain, Leo. It's probably not even third degree severity, which means that the ligaments are only partially torn. Besides, I've already kept it elevated and immobilized for more than forty-eight hours now. That should be more than enough rest for the injury. As the resident medical expert of the lair, I think as long as we keep the ankle wrapped tightly, I should be able to walk on it," Donnie stated, using his medical expertise as a defense mechanism.

Leo's lips curled into a defiant sneer for a moment before he countered.

"And as the current acting family practitioner, as well as the team leader and oldest brother, I am ordering you to keep off of that ankle until further notice, Donnie. Sorry, but you're confined to your crutches or your task chair until I clear you for discharge. And, you are to be accompanied by a chaperone at all times with the exception of bathroom breaks and bedtime. Do I have to remind you that you are still recovering from a serious head injury and an unidentified illness as well?" Leo noted, knowing that he was stating the obvious to his genius brother.

Donnie's initial reply was a sharp intake of breath, but he soon found his voice and put it to good use. "This is totally unfair! If you were the one injured, I wouldn't put you on such inflexible restrictions!"

Leo folded his arms over his chest and gave Donnie a cunning smirk that made the brainiac instantly cringe.

"Well, okay . . . maybe I would," Donnie moaned in defeat when he saw the knowing look on Leo's face. That simple expression sucked the proverbial wind right out of Donnie's sails, having made him realize that he was guilty of regularly placing his brothers on restrictions eerily similar to the very ones that he was whining about.

 _Karma can be so unbelievably cruel sometimes . . ._

Fortunately for Donnie, Leo never got the chance to gloat about successfully making the genius eat crow, because Raph and Mikey arrived just in the nick of time to spare their genius brother the humiliation.

"Geez, Leo! Are you his brother or his drill sergeant?" Raph griped as he strutted through the open lab doors, followed by Mikey, who moved in far less presumptuous fashion than his red-clad brother.

"I'm only trying to keep him from aggravating his injuries, Raph. His ankle still needs time to heal," Leonardo rationalized his stance on things, feeling as though his motives were now being called into question by two out of his three brothers.

Truth be told, Donnie's ankle injury wasn't the only reason that Leo was keeping his brother on restrictions. The oldest turtle was worried about some of the residual effects that his second youngest brother was still suffering from as a result of that night. While the occasional heart flutters and body tremors that Donnie had been experiencing seemed to have gone away, the genius had reluctantly – and somewhat unwillingly – informed his very insistent oldest brother that he was still battling with a low-grade fever, a pounding headache, sore muscles, excessive fatigue, and of course, the badly sprained ankle. How could Leo not be worried with a list of side effects that long?

Then, Raph spoke as though he had just tapped directly into his older brother's thoughts.

"Speaking of ankles, April called earlier. She said that she needed you to swing by her place and pick up some aircast she found for Donnie," Raph notified Leo in a voice that made it sound as though he was already bored.

"Why didn't she call my phone?" Leo asked, coming off as both irritated and a little hurt that April had called Raph, not him.

"How should I know? Do I look like somebody's secretary?" Raph growled, tossing a hand into the air just for the heck of it.

"Dude, you'd be the ugliest secretary ever. Or would you be a secre-turtle? Oh snap! I just put the whipped cream and sprinkles on top of that sundae, bro!" Mikey chirped, pointing at his brothers as though he deserved praise for his cleverness. What he got was a slap to the back of the head.

"Ow! Hey! Not cool, dude! Not cool!" Mikey yelped, rubbing the base of his now-aching skull.

The two oldest brothers then continued on with their conversation as though Mikey had never interrupted.

"So why does April need _me_ to pick up the cast? I thought she was stopping by later," Leo huffed, much testier than normal.

"Beats me. She said something about a test. I wasn't really listening." Raph acted as indifferently as possible as he spoke, shrugging his shoulders while he leaned against the table where Leo was still conducting his examination of Donnie's ankle.

Leo was about to issue another complaint when the shoddy splint that they had been using to keep Donnie's ankle stabilized caught his eye. Guilt consumed the eldest turtle once again when he thought about how Donnie had always taken such good care of them whenever they were out of commission. If April had found something that could somehow aid in Donnie's recovery, Leo owed it to his genius brother to retrieve that item, ASAP. After all, he had made a mental oath back at the fortune cookie factory to figure out a way to better protect Donnie the same way that his younger brother had always figured out ways to protect them. This was a good starting point . . .

With newfound determination, Leo quickly wrapped Donnie's ankle back up and helped his little brother into a sitting position.

"Well, I guess I'll head over to April's then. Raph, Mikey . . . you two keep an eye on Donnie and make sure that he doesn't overdo things while I'm gone," Leo instructed, casting firm glances at all three of his brothers to let them know that his orders were not to be disobeyed.

"I think we're perfectly capable of taking care of our own brother, Leo," Raph said in that snide way that always got Leo's bandana in a knot.

This time, Leo chose to ignore it.

"Okay, it shouldn't take me that long. Donnie, call me if you need anything," Leo said, curling his hands over Donnie's shoulders and looking him directly in the eyes, as if what he was saying was of the utmost importance.

Squirming slightly in Leo's hold, Donnie's eyes skimmed around the room, trying to make eye contact with anything but his oldest brother. Leo's sudden overbearingness was making the genius turtle more than a little uncomfortable. He knew that his big brother was only acting this way because he was feeling guilty for what had happened, but ever since he had regained consciousness after the whole Rahzar ordeal, his oldest brother had been constantly babying him. The whole thing was starting to get embarrassing, but Donnie didn't want to say or do anything that might possibly hurt Leonardo's feelings.

Raph, on the flipside, had never had any qualms about hurting Leo's feelings.

"He'll be fine, mommy!" Raph's words came out in a highly mocking way. It was obvious that he had not made any kind of effort to keep his annoyance a secret.

Leo glared at Raph and was about to verbally retaliate when he decided to be the bigger turtle of the two and let it go. He then turned and exited the lab without so much as a goodbye.

"Don't worry, D. Raph and me are gonna take awesome care of you, dude!" Mikey gushed, pumping his fists up and down.

"Well, you can start by getting the brainiac something to eat. Can't you see he's hungry? Look how skinny he's gotten. Why don't you go fix him a burrito or something? Make it fully loaded. You think you can handle that, Mikey?" Raph asked, playfully jabbing an elbow into his baby brother's rib cage.

"Like a turtle do! I'll make Donnie a burrito, all right, and it'll be the bestest burrito evah! No one can fully load a burrito like the 'Burrito Master!'" Mikey exclaimed, and with that said, he bounced out of the lab, leaving Raph and Donnie to watch his sweet 'prance' moves as he made his exit.

"Finally! I thought I'd never get both of 'em to leave. I seriously don't know how you can stand Leo's constant fussing," Raph groaned, scowling at the lab doors as if they had wronged him somehow.

"Honestly . . . the attention was kind of nice at first, but now, it's starting to feel like I'm being treated like an infant," Donnie said guiltily and he let out an exasperated sigh.

"See! I did you a favor by getting rid of old Fearless. Just wait 'til he finds out April never called," Raph mumbled nonchalantly.

"Yeah, I prob – Wait! You lied to him?" Donnie screeched in that girly voice that he sometimes used when he was wigging out about something.

"Yup. He's gonna be fit to be tied when he finds out." As soon as the last word had parted from his mouth, Raph's lips coiled into a crooked grin. He was apparently quite pleased with himself.

"But . . . Why?" Donnie's face crinkled up in confusion as he asked his question.

"Why? Because ever since we got home, I haven't had a chance to talk to you without Fearless being around. He's been like a big, green leech . . . all clingy and stuff," Raph grumbled as he took a seat next to Donnie on the lab table.

"Oh . . . "

The word 'oh' was nearly lost in the sound of Donnie exhaling.

There was an awkward pause before Donnie spoke again. "Hey, Raph . . . I'm, uh . . . I'm really sorry . . . about . . . you know . . . throwing up on you." As Donnie made his staggered apology, his head dipped down in remorse.

"No worries, Donnie. Maybe someday, I'll return the favor," Raph said with an evil twinkle in his eye as he gave Donnie a gentle nudge on the shoulder. "I'm just glad you're feeling better, little brother."

"You and me both," Donnie muttered and his response was immediately followed by a pensive hush as they both struggled to find the proper words to say. Surprisingly, it was Raph who broke the silence.

"Why'd you do it, Donnie? Why'd you jump off of that balcony?" Raph asked with more emotion than he normally cared to show, but his need for answers currently outweighed his stubborn pride. He had been waiting for this moment for over two days straight now and he would be shelled if he went and ruined it with his usual rude tone.

"Well, I couldn't find a piano to throw out of the window, so I had to improvise," Donnie kidded, quickly hiding behind his sense of humor. It was something that he often did when a situation was awkward, and boy, was this situation awkward. And judging by the strange way that his big brother was acting, things were only going to get worse . . .

"So you tied a box of fortune cookies on your back and took a flying leap off of a balcony?" The sarcasm in Raph's voice as he had posed the question was no more subtle than a punch in the nose.

"Not fortune cookies, Raph. I found a box of idler wheel load bearings for the conveyor roller lines. They're much, much heavier," Donnie corrected, feeling an imperative need to set the record straight.

"Okay, whatever . . . Let's get back to the point here, Donnie. When I asked you why you did it . . . I meant why would you risk your life like that? Why would you do that for me after all the awful things I said to you?" Raph asked and he had had to clear the frog in his throat twice in order to get through what he had wanted to say.

Donnie did not hesitate to answer.

"Because you're my brother," was the genius turtle's straightforward response and his expression turned resolute.

Without warning, Raph threw his arms around Donnie and held on with all of his might, squeezing his younger brother's breath away.

"Donnie . . . I didn't mean any of those things I said. I was just trying to keep Rahzar from – " Raph started, but he was abruptly cut off by his genius brother's now-wheezy voice.

"It's okay, Raph. I know you – " Donnie tried to spare Raph the pain of admitting that he was wrong, knowing just how much the hothead hated doing so, but his big brother's gristly voice stopped him cold.

"Let me finish!" Raph snapped, taking the both of them slightly by surprise. Raph then released his grip on Donnie so that he could lean back and look at his younger sibling.

While Raph stared him right in the eyes, Donnie held his tongue and just stared back at his brother, too scared to do otherwise.

"What I'm trying to say here, Donnie, is that I'm sorry. Back at the factory, when Rahzar was holding you hostage . . . Well, I shouldn't have said those things about you, 'cause none of that stuff was true. I was . . . I was scared, okay? I was scared that we were gonna lose you and I was just trying to get that creep to let you go . . . "

Raph paused to swallow thickly before continuing.

"But that's no excuse for what I did. I swear on my life that I didn't mean a word of it, Donnie. 'You hear me? Not a word. And I'm sorry for making you believe that any of that garbage was true, 'cause it wasn't. You're the smartest person I've ever met and you're always doing crazy stuff to protect us. And you're – "

There was another pause and it was significantly longer than the last one. When Raph's voice returned, it was deprived of all confidence.

"I guess . . . I . . . I guess . . . what I'm trying to say here, is that I . . . I – "

The three little words that Raph wanted to say to his brother would not come. It seemed like such a simple thing to do, just to put voice to what he was feeling inside at this very moment, but no matter how hard he tried, the words just wouldn't come out . . .

"Raph, seriously . . . You don't – " Donnie again tried to spare his brother any unnecessary discomfort, but Raph cut him off once more.

"Shut up, Donnie!" The bark in Raph's voice caused his younger brother to slightly recoil in fear, which the hothead immediately felt bad for. He softened his tone before continuing.

"Sorry . . . but I just need you to hear me out. Just . . . just give me a sec, okay?"

Donnie nodded in understanding. Having just been told to 'shut up,' he didn't think that any kind of verbal response would be a safe course of action.

"It's just that I . . . I wanted to thank you . . . for saving my life, Donnie . . . and for all of those other things that you're always doing for us. Like Leo said to you when you first woke up, we probably don't say thank you as much as we should . . . so thanks, little brother."

Raph paused one more time before adding, "You know . . . you're pretty cool, for a nerd."

If it were anyone else talking, the expression of gratitude that had just been made may have been considered somewhat sloppy, but coming from Raph, it was absolutely perfect. Sure, the execution may have been a little rough, but Donnie had understood the sentiment behind it as easily as basic arithmetic.

"I love you, too, Raph," Donnie breathed out, nearly choking on a sob. He would have hugged his big brother, but he figured one hug from Raph was enough for one day. The genius turtle didn't want to push his luck . . .

"Just remember, if you ever pull another stunt like that again, I'll kick your shell, Brainiac," Raph warned with a mischievous grin as he reached over and gave his genius brother a gentle noogie, being careful not to hurt him. He didn't ever want to hurt Donnie again.

The scene was suddenly getting a little too maudlin for Raph to stomach. A change of subject was definitely needed.

"So, uh . . . you wanna watch a movie or something? I'll even let you pick this time," Raph schmoozed, putting on the boyish charm that no one ever actually believed.

Donnie lightly nodded his head again and his face lit up with that delightful diastemic smile that they had all grown to love.

It had been a rough few days, but things were getting better and better. Donnie finally realized just how much his family cared about him and needed him, and now, he even got to pick what movie they watched for a change. Plus, Mikey was going to bring him the best burrito ever.

 _Yeah, life is pretty good . . . or at least, radically better than average . . ._

The genius turtle eagerly reached for his crutches beside the table as he said, "One thing's for sure. Next time I go topside on my own, I'm steering clear of that alley."

"Who says you're ever going topside alone again?" Raph asked in a flat tone void of any emotion.

Donnie chuckled over Raph's teasing, but when he looked up at his big brother's face, what he saw was the very epitome of seriousness.

 _No . . . He can't be serious . . . Can he?_

Raph then turned and walked towards the exit without another word, causing the genius's eyes to double in size.

"W – wait! You're kidding, right? Raph . . . Raph?" Donnie called out, pushing himself off of the lab table. He clumsily positioned himself on his crutches and gimped behind his big brother whose name he kept repeating, each time louder than the last.

"Raph! RAPH!"

 **The End**

* * *

 _ ***Author's Notes: Well, I hope that everyone enjoyed this story and I also hope that all of you liked the way that things turned out. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this story provided some of the closure that was missing from 'The Fourfold Trap.'**_

 _ **I really do hate to see this story come to an end, as I have enjoyed sharing it with all of you so much. (=() The support that I have received for 'You're Needed Here Now, Donnie' has been absolutely amazing and I am so grateful for all of your kindness. I have made so many wonderful new friends as a result of this story and I will forever be thankful for that.**_

 _ **I would like to thank everyone that took the time to read this story. I would also like to send big hugs and thanks to everyone who 'favorited,' followed, 'PM'ed,' and reviewed this story. There are no words that can adequately express how much your encouragement and thoughtfulness have meant to me. This journey has been so very wonderful and I am still overwhelmed by the positive feedback that I have received from everyone on this story. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. What a wonderful group of followers I have been blessed with. You are all so kind. :}**_

 _ **And so it is with tears in my eyes that I thank you all one last time for reading this story (in chapter form – I will still thank you in review form of course =}). Thank you . . . for everything.**_ _ ***wipes eyes and sniffles***_ ** _Please favorite/follow/review this story if you enjoyed it. I would love to know._** _ **And hey . . .**_ _ **maybe someday, I will add some bonus chapters or a sequel to this story. I have already had several requests and some really great suggestions for additional chapters to 'YNHND.' Thank you for that, too!**_

 _ **Anyway, I hope to see you next story . . .**_ _ **;) CJ**_

* * *

 _ ***Speaking of my next story . . . I have received a lot of interest in me posting my story 'Lost in the Fight,' so I wanted to let all of you know that I plan to start sharing it very, very soon. As I noted in chapter 17 last week, 'Lost in the Fight' is the story that I based 'You're Needed Here Now, Donnie' off of. It is the first TMNT story I ever wrote and it is much more angst-ridden than 'YNHND.' Much, MUCH more. Plus, it introduces my first ever original character and he is bad news. I will try to post new chapters weekly again, but I am thinking Thursdays this time. Maybe even this Thursday . . . Hope you don't mind the day change. ;)**_

 _ **TTFN**_

 _ **CJ**_


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